NiC — Nordic iGEM Conference 2025

From August 15 to 17, we joined the premier synthetic biology gathering in Copenhagen, Denmark, the Nordic iGEM Conference 2025! The weekend was filled with engaging presentations, an interactive poster session, networking opportunities, and social events. Seven iGEM teams from across the Nordic and Baltic countries came together to meet, practice presenting, and share ideas.

The event was hosted by the University of Copenhagen (KU) and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), together with their 2025 iGEM team, DTU Biobuilders. The three-day program was wonderfully organized, and we are truly grateful to the hosts for their efforts!




On the first day, we had the honor of meeting the CEO of iGEM, Nemanja Stijepovic. He gave an inspiring lecture, and we had the chance to ask questions about iGEM and the Grand Jamboree. Later, we joined a science communication workshop focused on giving strong presentations, followed by practice sessions with all the teams. In the afternoon, the poster session gave us the chance to present our own project and learn about others. Afterwards, each team voted for the best posters.

The main competition, the battle for the prestigious Golden Pipette, took place on the second day. Each team had 10 minutes to present and 5 minutes for questions from the judges and the audience. It was an exciting and intense day, but every team rose to the challenge!




For our team, the conference was a fantastic opportunity to practice for the upcoming Grand Jamboree presentation and to gain valuable insights into effective scientific communication. It also allowed us to connect and network with teams from other countries, an experience that was both inspiring and fun!

The conference closed with a meeting with advisors from the DTU iGEM teams, who shared inspiration, advice for handling team challenges, and tips for the remaining part of the project. Back in Finland, we shared our insights with the rest of our team members. It helped us to optimize our weekly meetings for efficiency, to start to pay more attention to team member well-being, and to refine our goals and deadlines.

The results of the conference made us proud: we were runners-up in the presentation competition and joint winners of the poster competition together with the Aalto-Helsinki team! And a big bravo to iGEM UiOslo for winning the presentation competition!

Sharing the iGEM experience with the other Finnish iGEM team

In early May, we reached out to the other Finnish iGEM team, the Aalto-Helsinki team. We were eager to connect with them, exchange experiences, and support each other throughout the competition. Our communication started with an online meeting between the co-leaders of both teams. We shared updates about our projects, how we got started, and what we were working on at the time. Challenges such as a late beginning, small budget, and teamwork strategies also came up in the discussion. We agreed to stay in touch and help each other whenever possible.

Education soon became a shared interest in our meetings. We exchanged ideas about strategies such as creating interactive educational materials and building a platform to share information about synthetic biology. We also brainstormed outreach ideas and discussed iGEM's status in Finland. Already in May, we had scheduled our workshop for Children’s Medicine Day in Heureka and invited the Aalto-Helsinki team to join us. This way continued the tradition of the Finnish iGEM teams hosting an educational workshop (link) together.




Two weeks before the Nordic iGEM Conference (NiC) in Denmark, we met up with the Aalto-Helsinki team in Turku. We also invited guest professionals: Kelly Raita, an English teacher and communications trainer from the University of Turku, Assoc. Prof. Pauli Kallio, our PI and lecturer at the University of Turku, and Tommi Riihinen, co-leader of the ABOA 2024 team. Together, we practiced presentations, learned from the invited professionals’ expertise, and even recorded a podcast episode (link) with Aalto-Helsinki team members for our Spotify channel.

The meet-up was a fantastic opportunity to prepare for both the NiC and the Grand Jamboree. Our invited guests gave valuable feedback: Raita shared advice on slide structure and presentation style. Riihinen, who attended the 2024 Grand Jamboree, gave us important insights into what the judges expect. Prof. Kallio, as a professor of synthetic biology, asked in-depth scientific questions that helped sharpen our explanations.




The meet-up was a real success! When we reunited with the Aalto-Helsinki team at NiC, it felt like meeting old friends. And to top it off, we became joint winners of the poster competition together with them! Additionally, the meet-up in Turku definitely helped us improve our presentation. At NiC, our team was proud to be runners-up in the presentation competition! We were very happy and thankful to the experts and the Aalto-Helsinki team who helped us sharpen our skills. Now we’re looking forward to the Grand Jamboree in Paris!

Social Media and Online collaborations

Team Brno — recording ABOA Archives

While planning our first podcast episode, we learned that an exchange student at the University of Turku called Tereza Slančíková is part of an iGEM team, iGEM Brno. This inspired us to make our first podcast episode about the similarities and differences between two iGEM teams. We recorded the episode on campus, focusing on synthetic biology, iGEM, our projects, and how our teams work. It was interesting to hear about the differences in our recruitment processes and how the team works together. The lively discussion highlighted how similar goals can lead to different approaches. Afterward, we shared the episode across our social media channels so that both communities could listen to it. We promised to meet up with the whole iGEM Brno team at the Jamboree to share all that we have learned during our individual iGEM journeys.

iGEM Lund — Online Pub Quiz

iGEM Lund invited us to participate in their online Pub Quiz featuring biology-themed and pop culture-themed questions. The event brought together ten different iGEM teams from different parts of the world. We had a great time in this friendly, fast-paced competition working through the rounds and trying to figure out the correct answers. Although we didn’t win, we’re proud to receive an honorable mention. It was a fun way to connect with the community and celebrate science!

UNICAMP-Brazil — Academic Discussion on Sustainable Development Goals

The Unicamp iGEM team, based in Brazil, invited us to participate in an academic discussion centered on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). On March 26th, two members of the ABOA team attended the “Tackling the SDGs Together” online event, which successfully fostered interdisciplinary dialogue and knowledge exchange surrounding the global challenges outlined in the 2030 Agenda. Around ten different iGEM teams from diverse backgrounds joined the event and were encouraged to contribute their perspectives on key topics, including climate action, responsible consumption, global health, sustainable innovation, equity in education, and more.

As our project is focused on supporting criminal investigations by providing a new forensic tool for bloodstain age analysis, we were particularly engaged in the discussion of SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions. We shared how our synthetic biology approach could help strengthen the rule of law by improving the accuracy and reliability of forensic evidence, ultimately contributing to fairer judicial processes.

During the discussion, we explored issues such as public trust in scientific, democratic, and judicial institutions and how this trust varies across different countries and legal systems. It was insightful to hear the perspectives of other teams on how technology and scientific innovation can both support and challenge the integrity of justice systems worldwide.

A key takeaway from the event was the importance of transparency, collaboration, and ethical responsibility in developing new technologies for justice-related applications. Together with the other participants, we agreed that interdisciplinary collaboration and cultural awareness are essential when working toward global goals such as SDG 16 and others.