Team up with other high school students to launch a biotech startup.
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Solve a real world problem using engineering principles
Join the leading global competition in biology, medicine, business, and technology.
Design and execute a challenging roadmap to win prestigious international medals. ​
Author and publish a professional-level research paper
​Present your project at the international conference in Paris
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​​​​For students focusing on: ​​​​
COMPUTER SCIENCE
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
BUSINESS
BIOLOGY
MEDICINE
ART & DESIGN
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
ENGINEERING​
CHEMISTRY
iGEM: Global Biotechnology
Challenge
About Us
iGEM Research
Founded at MIT in 2016, iGEM Research is a platform that allows talented high school students from anywhere in the world to participate in the iGEM biotechnology competition, which otherwise presents barriers for many students due to its high expenses and demanding laboratory infrastructure. IGEM Research is a selective program with ~ 20% acceptance rate, that requires dedication, maturity, collaboration skills and passion for STEM. iGEM Research is not just for biology students: our medal-winning teams depend on critical contributions from business, CS, social science and design students along with those of top premed and biology applicants.
Wetlab, Software, AI, Web Development
Technology
Our iGEM teams use foundational bioengineering wetlab tools that include CRISPR, gel electrophoresis, plasmid vectors, gene synthesis, and tissue cultures. Collaborating remotely, they design engineering pathways with software tools that include BLAST, Ramachandran Plot, Benchling, RaptorX and HHPred for genetics simulation. CS students also hardcode websites using HTML, CSS, and Javascript and create predictive AI models using Python.
Collaboration
Presenting and Pitching
Engineering Design
Software Development
Laboratory Research
Business Planning
Human Practices, Collaboration & Leadership
iGEM teams go far beyond academic research, collaborating with stakeholders that include medical researchers, regulators, policymakers, venture capitalists, physicians, patients, drug developers, and patient's rights groups in order to bring their project to life, leading to scalable impact and the development of core leadership skills.
Initiative, Dedication, Entrepreneurship
iGEM students take complete responsibility for the lifecycle of their venture, conducting initial background research, coding a team website from scratch, conceiving a novel biotechnology solution, conducting intensive lab experiments, developing an drug development and financial plan, and preparing to pitch to investors and industry experts. Just as in high-stakes athletics, our medal-winning teams depend on the dedicated, combined efforts of our talented STEM, design and business students, closely mentored by leaders from the worlds of biomedical research, genetics and technology.
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