A Collaborative Journey
Our project's success is deeply rooted in the vibrant iGEM community, which provided invaluable guidance and a dynamic platform for practical application. We are proud to have collaborated with a diverse network of partners, united by a shared mission to advance our project's goals while empowering the iGEM ecosystem.
This cooperation was guided by the dual principles of "serving project goals" and "empowering the iGEM community". We collaborated with three types of partners:
- iGEM Cross-Team Mutual Assistance
- Public Welfare: Building Partnerships for Impact
- Building Bridges: Industrial Insights and Commercialization Exploration
All partnerships were forged in the spirit of iGEM's values, ensuring mutual benefit and a focus on solving real-world problems.
| Type | Activity | Partner |
|---|---|---|
| iGEM Teams | Ideas sharing, project exchange, joint events | BNUZH, NEFU, CAU – Idea exchange; CJLH-JLU-China – Education sharing; JLU-China with 33 teams – Rumor-debunking handbook; CSU-China, SZU-China, SUSTech, SCAU, Linke Edu – Project sharing; ECUST – Entrepreneurship (topics on pricing & promotion); Munich – Project & idea exchange; AFMU-China – Co-created picture book; USTC – Science game; ShanghaiTech-China & SJTU-BioX-Shanghai – City Orienteering; Nanjing-China, SJTU-BioX-Shanghai, ZJU-China, USTC – Microbial Painting |
| University / Student Organizations | Campus events, lab visits | Fudan Student Union – Lecture Decoding Life with Algorithms; Campus Culture Center – Brewing course; School of Life Sciences – Lab tour & microbial inoculation; GT Ratcliff Lab – Experimental training |
| Student Associations | Science outreach & interaction | Yiluzhiyin – Collage poems, questionnaire, balloon animals; TangxinDan – Dialogue & Photovoice activities |
| Government / Community Institutions | Community outreach, education, seminars | Shanghai Sci-Tech Education Steering Committee – Entrepreneurship pitch; Sunflower Community Center – DNA origami, bread fermentation, balloon animals, children storytelling; Dalian Road Community Center – Lessons on genes, fermentation, microbes & resistance; Chenjiatou Community Center – Bread fermentation; Gaoqiao Town Community – Microbes & resistance; Gaoqiao Town Community with SUSTech – Elderly anti-scam seminar |
| Patient & Public Groups | Awareness & co-creation | EB Patient Families – Art exhibition; Chuangzhi Farm – Immersive rare disease experience & charity sale |
| Enterprise | Business idea exchange | SoftBank China – Market insights, commercialization strategy |
Empowering the iGEM Community and Advancing Academia
We believe the strength of iGEM lies in its collaborative spirit. Acting as a hub for knowledge exchange, we engaged deeply with the global community and sought academic expertise to push the boundaries of our project.
National Conferences: Synergy at Scale
The Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai iGEM meet-up
We actively participated in this regional conference at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, which gathered more than 110 participants. This event was instrumental in aligning regional efforts, refining our project through feedback, and building a strong collaborative network in Eastern China.
Beijing CCiC & Synbiopunk 2025
We attended this integrated event, which attracted over 1,000 synthetic biology researchers and developers globally. We presented our work in the CCiC poster session and participated in SynCamp unconferences on critical topics like biosafety and AI. This experience provided invaluable feedback from both academic and industry perspectives, strengthening our commitment to responsible innovation.
On Our Path: Team exchange
We initiated exchanges with multiple iGEM teams to iterate on our project design and Human Practices framework, ensuring they were robust and informed by diverse perspectives.
Engagements & Public Welfare
We actively sought collaborations with diverse teams to broaden our reach and engage wider audiences. We also extend our gratitude to the various departments and organizations that supported us and provided platforms for our activities.
Expanding Reach through Regional and Digital Alliances
SynbioSH
Co-organized with teams from ShanghaiTech-China and SJTU-BioX-Shanghai, this mega-event engaged 78 participants across Shanghai, transforming the city into a living laboratory and strengthening regional iGEM bonds.
BIO-BOUNCE
Partnering with USTC and NUDT-CHINA, we developed an online puzzle game that made gene editing concepts accessible and engaging, reaching a wide, digital-native audience. Below is a sceenshot of the game interface.
Microbial painting
In collaboration with Nanjing-China, SJTU-BioX-Shanghai, ZJU-China and USTC , we hosted a microbial painting workshop. Using safe, colorful, and even fluorescent bacteria as "paint", participants learned essential aseptic techniques while creating unique bio-art pieces. This activity demonstrated that synthetic biology is not only accessible but also a medium for personal expression and discovery.
Partnerships with Educational & Community Institutions
Structured Community Education
We established a recurring presence at community centers (Shanghai Sunflower, Dalian Road Community Neighbor Center, Jiangpu Road Subdistrict, Chenjiatou Community Neighbor Center, Jiangpu Road Subdistrict and Lingqiao No.7 Residents' Committee, Gaoqiao Town, co-developing a standardized curriculum for children on topics like "Genes & Proteins", "Bread Fermentation", "Microbes are Everywhere" and so on.
Empowering Seniors
With Lingqiao No.7 Residents' Committee , Gaoqiao Town, we developed the seminar "Rumor Stopping" to educate seniors on identifying and avoiding high-tech scams.
Child-Friendly Picture Book
We collaborated with AFMU-China to co-author an original children's picture book, creating a lasting and scalable outreach resource.
Rumor Clarification Handbook
In collaboration with multiple universities, primarily CJUH-JLU-China, we produced the "Smashing Synthetic Biology Rumors" Science Brochure, which participants could take home to continue practicing critical thinking when encountering health-related claims.
Collaboration with Patient Groups and Medical Institutions
Flagship Partnership with the EB Community
We contacted a well-known EB patient blogger, "Prince Superman", getting in touch with the "Butterfly Baby" patient community was transformative. With Chuangzhi Farm, we organized an exhibition to help the public understand the daily challenges patients face.
Understanding Healthcare Challenges
Using the "PhotoVoice" methodology with Club Tang Xin Dan, we facilitated deep dialogues (one online meeting screenshot below) to center patient voices in health discussions.
Expand our Connection through School's Alliances
Campus-Wide Knowledge Dissemination
With the help from Fudan Student Union, we organized the lecture "Decoding Life with Algorithms", attracting more than one hundred students from diverse backgrounds and bridging biology with computational sciences.
Garden Party
On March 28th, we collaborated with Club - Yiluzhiyin to host a vibrant Garden Party. The event featured balloon art, a synthetic biology adventure game, and collage poetry, successfully engaging over 300 participants and demonstrating the power of combining play, practice, and creation in science outreach.
Building Bridges: Industrial Insights and Commercialization Exploration
To ensure real-world relevance, we engaged with the business community to test our ideas and refine our path to impact.
Conversation with SoftBank China
We had the privilege of engaging in a face-to-face discussion with Mr. Jie Chen, CEO of SoftBank China, who provided critical insights into the pharmaceutical market, directly influencing our business model and pricing strategy.
Participation in the Shangzheng Cup Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition
We took part in the Biopharmaceutical Track of the Shanghai College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition (Shanghai Stock Exchange Cup), aiming to raise initial funding from potential investors through roadshows. Industry experts and judges provided valuable feedback during discussion sessions.
Summary
Our collaboration was guided by the principles of serving project goals and empowering the iGEM community. Through cross-team exchanges, expert guidance, and partnerships with schools, communities, patients, and industry, we co-created educational tools, organized public outreach, refined our project design, and explored real-world applications. Together, these collaborations bridged academia, society, and industry — transforming synthetic biology into a shared effort for education, empowerment, and innovation.
