At the Great Exhibition Road Festival, we had the chance to introduce synthetic biology in a fun and informal way to young children, including kindergarteners. To make molecular biology exciting and interactive, we teamed up with the RLA Lab and the Bezos Centre for Sustainable Protein to run a stall called Build a Microbial Factory.

Children aged 3 to 7 explored how a yeast cell functions using a hands-on marble game designed by RLA Lab. The game simulated the journey of a molecule through a living cell, guiding a marble through key organelles like the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi apparatus. At each station, we explained what that part of the cell does in simple, relatable ways, such as "this is where the cell reads instructions!" or "this is the cell's post office!", turning complex molecular biology into an interactive, immersive experience.

We also featured The Overlab, a fast-paced, multiplayer game inspired by Overcooked but set in a synthetic biology lab. Players took on different lab roles to complete experiments under time pressure, from preparing reagents to assembling plasmids. The game emphasized teamwork and communication, giving children a playful taste of real lab dynamics.

Throughout the day, we welcomed around 50,000 participants and received glowing feedback from both kids and parents on how much fun and engaging the activities were.

To make science feel less distant and more exciting for young children, our iGEM team created a colourful picture book that introduces the idea of “A Day in the Life of a Scientist”. The book was designed with simple language and bright illustrations to show scientists not just as people in lab coats, but as curious problem-solvers who ask questions, explore the world, and try to make life better for everyone. We used the picture book during our nursery visits, where it helped spark conversations with children and gave them an early, positive impression of science.

During our nursery visits, the book was read aloud to groups of children, encouraging them to engage with the story by pointing out details in the illustrations and sharing their own thoughts about being future scientists. This interactive format helped spark curiosity and gave children an early, positive impression of science as something playful and accessible.

Synthetic biology and the greater STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) field can be portrayed as too advanced or “grown-up,” leaving children out of the conversation and its role in shaping the future. We wanted to change that for our project, by creating a resource that introduces key concepts in a way that feels familiar, playful, and accessible to young audiences.

Our solution was to design an educational colouring book filled with themed pages that invite children to “meet the scientists,” imagine themselves doing lab work, and explore the building blocks of life, such as cells, organs, and even synthetic meat as part of our project. Each page was designed with simple, bold outlines for colouring, paired with short, child-friendly explanations that encourage curiosity and creativity.

Through combining classic colouring activities with real scientific themes, the book makes synthetic biology approachable at an early age, showing that science isn’t just something hidden away in labs but part of everyday life and future possibilities. Beyond being fun, it serves as a gentle introduction to synthetic biology, planting the seeds of interest in STEM while also helping children and their families feel included in scientific conversations.

Once complete, the colouring book was published online and presented in our visits to nurseries.

For children, science is usually taught and presented as something serious and complicated, rather than playful and imaginative. We wanted to challenge that perception by creating a resource that makes synthetic biology approachable through storytelling, humour, and relatable characters.

Our solution was to design a digital Webtoon-style storybook, starring our mascot Sir Loin, and Dr. Pea Pod as they set off on adventures to explore and explain synthetic biology. Each episode introduces a new theme about sustainable food and synthetic meat. By personifying scientific ideas through characters, we aimed to break down barriers and make abstract concepts easier to grasp.

The comic format allowed us to merge entertainment with education, capturing the imagination of younger audiences while also engaging older readers who might be curious but intimidated by technical language. Bright artwork and approachable narratives turned synthetic biology into a story-driven experience rather than a lecture, showing that science can be both fun and relevant.

Once completed, the Webtoon was published online and shared across our outreach channels, where it provided a creative entry point for new audiences to learn about iGEM and synthetic biology.

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For our kindergarten outreach efforts, we realised that showcasing cultivated meat to kids can sound very scary, especially to picky eaters. To combat this issue, we wanted to create a mascot that made our project approachable, fun, and memorable. This led to the creation of Sir Loin: our mascot cartoon steak with a monocle, moustache, and top hat, the face of Growf when talking to children.

To bring him to life, we designed a do-it-yourself plushie kit complete with a steak plush base, adhesive felt for facial features, a mini top hat, and templates to guide assembly. The kit was more than an arts and crafts project. It invited children to engage with our projects tough SynBio concepts through hands-on creativity, turning an abstract concept like cultivated meat into something tangible and playful.

Shared online and at outreach events, the plushie served as both a science communication tool and an icebreaker, helping younger audiences warm up to conversations about the future of food.

To make science approachable and fun at an early age, our team launched a kindergarten and nursery outreach initiative. We visited three nurseries to introduce children to the idea of what being a scientist is like and to share some simple, age-appropriate concepts about plant science.

The sessions were designed to be interactive and playful. Alongside presenting a brief introduction for plant science with an experiment, we read from the picture book about scientists that we created, invited children to colour pages from our colouring book, and encouraged them to express their own ideas by drawing themselves as scientists on blank sheets of paper.

Through combining reading, colouring, and creative drawing, we were able to present science as playful and accessible while showing children that they, too, could imagine themselves as scientists. The picture book and colouring book now serve as reusable outreach tools for future visits, ensuring the project can continue inspiring interest in STEM at an early age.

For many people, no matter their age or stage in education, entering the field of synthetic biology can feel confusing and overwhelming. Since it is still an up-and-coming area in the big field of biology, the opportunities, especially in the UK, are numbered.

We wanted to make this journey clearer by creating a career guide that introduces the best degrees to pursue for a future in SynBio, along with the wide range of possible career paths that follow, with emphasis on academia and industry to startups and entrepreneurship. We consulted with the Disability Advisory Office at Imperial as part of our process to get guidance in making the guide as inclusive and accessible as possible.

Drawing on our own team composition and experiences during iGEM, we highlighted the degrees that provide strong foundations for synthetic biology, including life sciences, engineering, and computational disciplines. For careers, we researched companies and organisations we interacted with during the project, as well as leading players we knew in the field, to showcase the diversity of opportunities available.

Importantly, we also included our own honest reflections and advice to make the guide friendly and encouraging.

Once completed, we shared the career guide on our Slack community and distributed it directly to high school students through their outreach channels, helping prospective SynBio enthusiasts at different stages feel more confident about their next steps.

We understand that our field, synthetic biology, is often described as a “ niche within a niche”. With that comes a lot of specialised and technical jargon that can make the field feel inaccessible to newcomers and the general public. To make our project and synthetic biology more approachable, we created a visual dictionary that defines commonly used terms, both from our work and the broader field. The aim was to break down complex concepts into simple, easy-to-understand language.

The glossary includes terms like gene regulation,cultivated meat, transcription factor. These and many more are presented with clear, beginner-friendly definitions and bold, eye-catching visuals to make complex biology feel approachable and engaging for all audiences.

It’s a resource we hope can help students, educators, and the general public feel more confident navigating this exciting area of science.

As part of our outreach to younger students, we hosted a collaborative webinar with the Hiroo Gakuen (HG) team from Japan. This event brought together 35 elementary and high school students from across Japan to explore the world of synthetic biology and learn about lab‑grown meat.

It was a unique opportunity to communicate science across continents, languages, and age groups: translating complex ideas into simple, engaging explanations that could spark curiosity in students just beginning to explore science.

The webinar was structured to give participants a broad view of both schools’ programs and projects. We started with an introduction to iGEM and synthetic biology, followed by Imperial College’s presentation about daily life at university and our iGEM project. Each segment was designed to be accessible, using clear language and visuals to make scientific concepts easy to understand.

After the presentations, we held an interactive Q&A session. Students asked questions about research, future careers, joining iGEM, and even what it’s like to study at Imperial and HG. The conversation was casual and lively, allowing students to hear directly from us and our Japanese counterparts about our experiences, motivations, and the excitement behind our projects.

Survey feedback highlighted that participants loved the Imperial College presentations and were particularly inspired by learning how lab‑grown meat can be made in a sustainable way. Many shared that they were excited to continue exploring synthetic biology and were motivated to learn more about the ethical and scientific challenges of food innovation.

This webinar demonstrated how science communication can transcend cultural and language barriers, inspiring young students to engage with cutting‑edge research and consider global educational opportunities.

This year, our Imperial iGEM team led the Digital Postcard Initiative, a global collaboration connecting iGEM teams from every continent (including high school and university groups). The goal? To share not just projects, but experiences, journeys, and knowledge.

Each team created a digital postcard with artwork and a letter introducing themselves, their university, and their project in simple, accessible language. This allowed participants to learn from each other, celebrate diverse approaches, and see how synthetic biology is tackled in labs across the world.

But the impact didn’t stop there. All postcards were made publicly available, turning them into “synthetic biology love letters.” Each message communicated a team’s passion for synthetic biology and shared it with the wider public in an engaging, friendly way.

Readers can explore projects from around the globe, see where teams are based, and learn about the science behind their work. By encouraging teams to explain their projects simply, we made cutting-edge synthetic biology approachable for everyone, not just scientists.

This initiative created double-layered education: first, knowledge exchange between iGEM teams, and second, learning opportunities for the general public. It’s a celebration of collaboration, curiosity, and the global community united by a shared passion for synthetic biology.

We saw a clear gap in the UK for students interested in synthetic biology, unlike more established fields like clinical research or law, there was no central space for early synthetic biologists to connect, collaborate, and grow. To change this, we launched the UK SynBio Circle, a dedicated UK-regional Slack community, designed specifically for university students and early-career researchers in the field.

We carefully structured it around the journey of someone entering and growing in the field. We created specific channels for sharing research papers, troubleshooting lab techniques, and discussing current developments in synthetic biology. There’s a space for conferences and events, where members can share upcoming talks, workshops, and funding opportunities. Our #opportunities channel became a hub for internships, PhD openings, start-up positions, and collaboration requests, and has been used by several companies to reach talent directly. We also included casual and social channels to help people meet informally, share ideas, and feel part of a broader, supportive community.

The Slack gained traction quickly, over 150 students from more than 12 universities across the UK joining. Alongside professionals from five start-ups who shared jobs and internships, such as SynX Therapeutics. It’s become an active space where students can find each other, exchange ideas, and take their first steps into the field with a network behind them.

Synthetic biology is often seen as abstract and highly technical by the general public, while researchers can be reluctant to hold open conversations with the public to hear out their concerns. We wanted to change that by creating a resource that felt familiar and accessible, while still delivering serious ideas

Our solution was to design an educational magazine inspired by the 2000s teen tabloids many people grew up with, complete with bold layouts, quizzes, horoscopes, and playful commentary. We selected synbio stories that connect directly to people's everyday lives and are often discussed negatively, such as cultivated meat and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). We paired these with topics typically limited to scientific circles, like lab dress codes or microbial chassis selection, all presented in a playful, accessible format. To add another layer of interactivity, we included simple mini-experiments that readers could try at home with common household items, demonstrating basic scientific principles in a fun, accessible way.

Drawing directly from the formatting of glossy magazines, we recreated the experience of flipping through a pop-culture tabloid, but instead of celebrity gossip, readers discovered stories about biotechnology. Once complete, the magazine was shared online on our social media channels like Instagram and Slack, and sent to Imperial’s Department of Bioengineering for outreach printing, where it now serves as a fun entry point for prospective students.

In doing so, we provided an unusual but effective way to make synthetic biology approachable, showing that even complex science can be communicated with humour, nostalgia, and creativity.

We reached out to synthetic biology student societies across the UK through email, Instagram DMs, and LinkedIn, successfully establishing collaborations with 9 external societies, plus our own Imperial SynBio Society, bringing the total to 10.

These Included:

• UCL Biochem Soc
• UCL Biotech Soc
• Oxford SynBio Soc
• Manchester Biochem Soc
• Manchester Biochem Soc
• KCL Biotech & SynBio Soc
• Edinburgh Biotech Soc
• Edinburgh BiTSoc
• Warwick BioSoc

This year, with iGEM participation among UK teams dropping to just four teams from 20 back in 2016, we recognised the importance of strengthening connections across the regional SynBio community. To address this, we focused our outreach on building the UK SynBio Network by engaging directly with university societies during their Welcome Fairs.

To make collaboration flexible and accessible, we provided each society with two options:

• In-person collaboration, Imperial iGEM supported their stall by actively promoting iGEM and synthetic biology to their new members together at their stall.
• Remote collaboration, we supplied outreach materials that societies could present at their stalls, ensuring they could still be part of the initiative without logistical barriers.

Through this effort, we not only showcased synthetic biology and iGEM to new students across the country but also laid the foundations for a stronger, more connected UK SynBio community. The partnerships created through this outreach highlighted cross-university collaboration in sustaining enthusiasm for synthetic biology despite reduced iGEM participation.

In the UK, iGEM teams have no formal opportunities to practice for the Grand Jamboree or connect with each other outside their universities, so we set out to create a national Mini Jamboree. Our aim was to give student teams a platform to rehearse their presentations, showcase synthetic biology innovation to undergraduates considering joining future teams, and connect students directly with researchers, industry professionals, and alumni. To prepare ourselves, we developed a 15-minute project talk and practiced it over two weeks, ensuring we could present our best work to the crowd and fellow iGEM teams.

As organisers, we needed to secure speakers, booths, a venue, funding, and volunteers, while also designing interactive elements such as live Q&As and question submission forms. We reached out to over 30+ companies to bring in leading voices from the synbio community, booked one of Imperial’s most prestigious lecture theatres, and held one-to-one preparation meetings with every speaker. The final line-up featured some of the UK’s most exciting startups and researchers: David Kim of CyanoCapture and Shan Jiang, iGEM alumnus and founder of Ailurus Bio, delivered keynotes; Kärt Tomberg of ExpressionEdits joined us for an interactive fireside chat using a new live Q&A platform; Martin Carballo Pacheco represented Hoxton Farms with a workshop on cultivated meat technology; and our Future of Biotech panel showcased the journeys of FullCircleLabs, Change Bio, and Amytis, three early-stage startups using AI and automation to transform biotechnology.

Beyond the programme itself, our team designed the agenda, accessibility guides, and infographic content for guests, coordinated volunteers through a dedicated application process, and kept up daily social media updates leading up to the date to build anticipation. During the event, we ran student team presentations with live Q&As from alumni and industry professionals, filmed short videos during breaks to capture instant feedback, and ensured every session encouraged audience interaction.

The event drew over 60+ engaged attendees and received outstanding feedback: our survey reported average satisfaction scores of 4.73/5 for speaker selection and 4.82/5 for resources and communication, with 91% of respondents saying they would return next year. One participant reflected, “The Future of Biotech panel was very candid. The panelists were super warm and helpful when answering questions and left me inspired to do my own research on what they talked about!”

Overall, the Mini Jamboree was a vibrant success. For iGEM teams, it provided invaluable practice before Paris; for the broader audience, it was an inspiring showcase of what synthetic biology can achieve when students, academics, and entrepreneurs come together — and proof that it is never too early to start building in synthetic biology.

To better understand how cultural background influences trust in synthetic biology, our team worked with iGEM Yale and MIT-MAHE to design a collaborative survey. Each team proposed five questions during a joint call, which we refined into a final survey distributed for one week. The survey attracted a predominantly young audience, most between the ages of 18–25, with varying levels of familiarity with synthetic biology.

Results showed that while medicine was the best-known application, food and agriculture sparked the strongest opinions: over half of respondents were willing to try synbio-based foods, though many expressed safety concerns. Responses clustered into four broad groups—pro/accepting, hesitant, anti, and neutral—with reasoning ranging from climate and nutritional benefits to distrust and health risks. More broadly, most participants believed the benefits of synthetic biology outweigh its risks, and many reported increased trust in science compared to previous years, though some remained skeptical due to political influence, misinformation, or corporate control.

A strong majority also valued public involvement in decision-making about the field, highlighting the importance of transparent and inclusive dialogue in shaping future acceptance.

see how we analysed the data here

Once we closed our survey, and collated our results, we collaborated with the Yale and MIT-MAHE iGEM teams on a two-hour webinar to explore how cultural background shapes trust in scientific innovation, an angle often hinted at in surveys but rarely examined in depth. There, we showcased our analysed responses, and produced infographics.

The MIT-MAHE Team recalled how in India, trust is measured in relation to how biotechnology directly affects daily life, such as how local farmers interact with GM crops. However, the Yale Team described that in the United States, people tend to see genetic modification as part of everyday life, normalised through large-scale commercial agriculture where distinctions between GM and non-GM products are less relevant.

The two-hour conversation was both a platform to exchange perspectives on the survey and an opportunity to practice our presentation skills across continents. We had a long conversation about how different factors influence trust in science, the strongest contrasts being from cultural and legislative environments.

In contrast, we highlighted how in Europe, bans and restrictions confine genetic engineering largely to academia and the pharmaceutical sector, shaping a more cautious public perception, and less public trust in genetic modification. Despite these differences, a unifying theme emerged: younger generations across regions displayed a notably positive outlook on synthetic biology, suggesting that they will play a key role in shaping broader acceptance of the field in the future.

Did you know that over half of adults regularly listen to podcasts, often using them to learn something new while going about their day? We thought: why not bring synthetic biology to this growing medium? With this in mind, we launched a podcast aimed at reaching the general public in a lighthearted, accessible way.

Hosted by two of our team members, each episode features interviews with different iGEM members discussing a topic in synthetic biology that they are passionate about. Guests also share their journey into synthetic biology and iGEM, providing insight into how others can get involved, whether at high school, undergraduate, or postgraduate levels.

This approach makes the podcast both educational and inspiring, covering not only the science behind synthetic biology but also personal stories and experiences. Our episodes have explored a wide range of topics, including the fundamentals of synthetic biology, biomanufacturing and its scaling challenges, GMOs, biological pattern formation, and women in biotech entrepreneurship.

We’ve also welcomed guest iGEM teams, such as the Manipal team from India, to share their experiences and perspectives. This has made the podcast a platform for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and discussion across teams, generations, and audiences.

In addition to the discussions, we’ve incorporated creativity and music into the project. One team member, combining their passion for synthetic biology and music, produced a unique podcast jingle using lab sounds and instruments creating a “magical lab” vibe that reflects the sci-fi and innovative spirit of our field.

Listener feedback reflects the podcast’s ability to engage audiences from different backgrounds:

• “I’d never heard of Symbio before, and honestly, it sounded kind of sci-fi to me. But I’m really glad I clicked on it on my way to work. Now I can actually join in when people talk about GMOs at dinner.”

• “I’ve been trying to get into biotech entrepreneurship and have been consuming all sorts of content, but this episode was different. It felt honest, not overhyped, and really down-to-earth.”

• “What I love about this podcast is it makes you think about Synthetic Biology outside the lab. It’s not just experiments or companies, it’s ethics, society, futuristic possibilities. I always end up thinking about stuff I wouldn’t have considered before, which is super cool.”

Overall, the podcast has become an innovative educational tool that transcends traditional media and demographics. It’s a fun, accessible way for the public to learn about synthetic biology while highlighting the collaborative and creative culture of iGEM.

As part of our public education strategy, we wanted a way to make people reflect on bioethics in an accessible, on-the-go format. Quizzes are something we all enjoy: on the bus, at home, or shared with friends. Instead of “Which character are you?”, our quiz asks: What do your choices reveal about ethics in the age of synthetic biology?

That idea became The Moral Code: an immersive quiz that reimagines the classic “Trolley Problem” for today’s scientific frontiers.

The Moral Code takes players through five ethical worlds, each tied to a framework that guides decisions in science. Early choices feel simple, but later dilemmas demand real moral trade-offs.

You’ll face crisis responses in The Outbreak (utilitarianism), risk-versus-innovation in The Green Lab (precautionary principle), questions of fairness in The Divide (justice & equity), personal rights in The Trial (autonomy & consent), and finally enhancement in The Horizon Project (posthumanism).

Every choice is tracked across four axes: Idealism, Realism, Rebellion, and Skepticism, which reveal your archetype: The Idealist, The Realist, The Rebel, or The Skeptic. In rare cases, when answers deeply contradict, the system overrides and gives The Mirror, reflecting back inner conflict instead of a score.

To intensify the journey, the game also delivers thought interruptions, sudden prompts that stop the story and force you to justify a choice, like: "You chose to silence a community for the greater good. How do you justify that?" These moments turn abstract dilemmas into personal reflection.

The Moral Code does not tell players what is right or wrong. Instead, it highlights how advances in synthetic biology make old ethical debates urgent again. By playing, participants see how their values influence decisions about risk, fairness, and identity. This makes bioethics tangible and personal, showing that science is never just technical, it is also social and moral.

As biotechnology grows more powerful, society faces choices that affect everyone. Should we enhance human traits? Release engineered microbes? Who gets access first? Through this quiz, we invite the public to reflect on these questions in a simple, playful way. Our hope is to spark dialogue, critical thinking, and awareness about the futures synthetic biology could create.

Feedback from participants showed how accessible yet thought-provoking The Moral Code was across different audiences:

• “I’ve never really thought about science beyond what I read in the news, so I didn’t expect this game to hit me as hard as it did… I realized I’d prioritized results over transparency. That made me think about how easily we excuse moral compromises in society.”

• “I approached The Moral Code thinking it would be a fun exercise, but it turned out to be surprisingly challenging… It showed how I balance principles with outcomes, but also how easy it is to overlook ethical nuance even as a scientist.”

• “Level 1, The Outbreak, was exciting I liked feeling in charge during a virus outbreak. When a thought interruption asked me to justify the risk to uninformed populations, it made me stop and think about responsibility in science.”

These reflections highlight how The Moral Code successfully sparked awareness, self-reflection, and dialogue across both scientific and non-scientific audiences.

When we organised our UK Mini‑Jamboree, one fact struck us: for a country with dozens of world‑leading universities, the number of UK iGEM teams is surprisingly small. We quickly realised this is not unique to the UK—participation in iGEM has been shrinking globally, despite the growing number of synthetic biology societies and passionate students eager to take part.

Why is this happening? From our own experience and from conversations with students across the UK and abroad, the answer is clear: the barriers to starting an iGEM team are high. Funding is the biggest hurdle, with registration fees and lab costs proving prohibitive for many groups. But money isn’t the only issue. Many universities lack experienced advisors in synthetic biology, while students often feel uncertain about logistics, rules, and the sheer scope of running a year‑long project.

We saw this gap first‑hand. During our Welcome Outreach Tour, we spoke with students from universities such as Edinburgh and Manchester, where synthetic biology societies exist but no iGEM team has been able to take root. One Edinburgh student explained they had dreamt of competing since high school but never knew how to begin, while a Manchester student told us funding challenges had already derailed past attempts. Similar stories arose during our webinar with Hiroo (Japan), where participants voiced the same frustrations.

To address this, we created a “Getting Started with iGEM” guide—a practical resource designed specifically for university students who want to turn enthusiasm into action. The guide breaks down the essentials:

• Forming a team (finding members, building skillsets)
• Securing advisors and lab space (including the option of remote or international mentorship)
• Funding strategies (from university support to sponsors)
• Running a project (ideation, research, communication, and human practices)
• Understanding rules and structure (helping new teams navigate deadlines and deliverables)

Importantly, this is not just an administrative checklist. It reflects the real challenges that teams like ours have faced, and the solutions we and others have used to overcome them. For example, one of our advisors is based in India—proving that teams do not need to rely solely on local faculty for mentorship.

Impact and validation

The guide has already proven its value. We shared it widely during our Welcome Outreach Tour, and several societies expressed interest in reviving or founding teams. For us, even this single outcome represents a powerful step towards rebuilding the network.

Our resource was also validated by one of our advisors, a past iGEM High School judge, who confirmed its relevance and accessibility for new teams.

Looking forward

We see this guide not as a final solution, but as a starting point to lower barriers and expand access to iGEM. By equipping motivated students with the knowledge to overcome funding, mentorship, and logistical hurdles, we hope to inspire new teams to form—and to see more universities represented at future Jamborees, including our next Mini‑Jamboree.

In short, this resource is our contribution to sustaining the international iGEM community. It acknowledges the obstacles openly while showing that, with guidance and persistence, iGEM can be accessible to far more students worldwide.