iGEM 2020: An Exceptional Year

This is not a normal year. We are living through the biggest pandemic in the past 100 years. It is affecting all of our lives, and it is impacting iGEM. Schools are transitioning to online classrooms, students are being sent home, and laboratories are closing down. As we see news of cancellations in all areas of life, many of you begin wondering: What happens to iGEM? Is there an iGEM Competition this year? Will it be worth it?

Last month our Ambassadors hosted video calls and spoke to nearly 200 iGEM teams. For the first time ever, teams all around the world were massively meeting online to share their challenges, ideas, inspirations and progress. We listened to your feedback and felt the incredible sense of community. Many teams are still hopeful and have a passion to compete. It has never been more clear to us that iGEM has to continue no matter what.

Now more than ever, the world is realizing the important role science has in our society. We believe that synthetic biology will help solve the world’s biggest problems, and we know that iGEMers can do incredible things when they work together. The pandemic is affecting us now, but what you do next will determine the future.

We want to see you continue to push the boundaries of synthetic biology by tackling everyday issues facing the world, and we want to help make it happen in this new reality. So, we invite you to share your progress with your local Ambassadors during Coffee Hours, exchange ideas with your fellow teams on the Global iGEM Slack channel, and connect with the community at virtual meetups and webinars. If you can continue this year, we will help you.

This is not a normal year, but we can make this an exceptional iGEM year. This is iGEM in the time of a pandemic. It will be different but it will be worth it.

How We’re Changing iGEM

Based on your feedback, we adapted this year’s iGEM experience, and examined each component of the competition to make it more appropriate for this year. We are updating Judging criteria, switching the Giant Jamboree to a virtual format, supporting new project timelines, transforming the way teams present their projects, and pushing back Opening Day and Regular Registration to May 15. Starting now, we will provide many new activities and communication initiatives so that iGEM teams stay connected and have fun, including the first round of Ambassador Coffee Hours to start taking your feedback tomorrow (Thursday, April 23).

We have collected all these changes on the “New for 2020” Hub, including:

Changes to Judging
New iGEM Activities Starting Now
Virtual Giant Jamboree
Changes to Registration
Two-Phase Projects
New Video Deliverables
Safety, Human Practices, and COVID-19
The iGEMers’ Guide to iGEM in the Time of Pandemic

More details can be found on the “New for 2020” Hub:

NEW FOR 2020

Direct Link: https://2020.igem.org/Competition/New

Upcoming dates to consider

April 23-28: Ambassador "Coffee Hour" video calls - Tell us your feedback!
April 25: Video & Remote Technology Committee next round applications due
April 30: German iGEM MeetUp workshop applications close (Team Marburg Giessen)
May 4: Revive & Restore Team Grant applications close
May 5: Webinar - Introduction to the Benchling Platform
May 7: Online Synbio Meetup (Sydney, Australia)
May 15: Regular Registration closes
May 15: Competition Opening Day

EVENTS

Direct Link: https://2020.igem.org/Teams/Events

Missed something? See our newsletter archive to read previous issues