Shenzhen University

In January 2025, we held an online communication meeting with several members of the 2024 iGEM team SZU-China. The teams from South China Agricultural University and Shenzhen University respectively introduced their research progress in folate-fortified soybeans and sweet protein tomatoes. Both sides conducted in-depth discussions on topics such as experimental design, technical difficulties, and team collaboration. In terms of team division of labor and collaboration, the Shenzhen University team adopted a mixed division of labor model, where all members participated in wet and HP work, and specialized parts were handled by designated personnel. Weekly group meetings were held to report progress and brainstorm to solve problems, ensuring the efficient advancement of the project. The Wiki was managed by the finance student, and all members learned basic HTML and CSS to assist in its completion. In terms of modeling and hardware development, the modeling work of Shenzhen University includes protein molecular docking and directed evolution, predicting protein structures through AlphaFold and optimizing sweetness characteristics. Hardware development includes sweet protein detection test strips and handheld sweetness detectors, the latter of which can detect a variety of sweet substances. Due to time and cost constraints, the biosensor solution was not adopted, and instead, detection equipment based on special materials was developed.

China Agriculture University

In February 2025, we conducted online exchanges with the CAU-China team regarding dry experiments, Wiki construction, and the implementation of HP activities. From the exchanges, we learned that attention should be paid to the display effects on different display devices and the setting of flexible grid layouts when producing the Wiki. At the same time, we also specifically asked about the protein-DNA docking model produced by the CAU team, and learned about the learning route for studying foreign models and the advantages of choosing the HDCK model. In addition, because they spent a very short time learning from scratch and developing software, and achieved good results, we further inquired about the difficulties encountered in software development and the solutions, which accumulated experience for our subsequent work. In terms of social practice, we focused on consulting them about the inclusive activities they have carried out and the creative art-based science popularization activities.

IGBA Guangzhou Regional Exchange Meeting

In April 2025, multiple members of our team went to Southern Medical University to participate in the Guangzhou Regional Exchange Meeting. We further learned that writing Wiki is very difficult (drafting + translating + unifying formats), and to improve the content, we must read the official website and judge handbook more. When making the model, extensively refer to the teams that won the best modeling in previous sessions, form our own thinking, and build our own modeling framework. In addition, the project requires a lot of art design. It is suggested to build a team with diverse backgrounds, with team members from different majors and cross-group division of labor, which will lead to more gains.

In terms of HP, it is first necessary to reflect "reflective". The Beijing Normal University Zhuhai team collaborated with a total of 24 experts, consulted experts on feasibility before each activity, introduced the team's project to other teams in exchange meetings and other activities, and asked for their opinions. Ambassador Li Zixi also mentioned that education activities should not be limited by the project theme (multiple disciplines such as biology and chemistry are acceptable). A good IHP needs to build a two-way connection. If no good innovations can be carried out, it is better to do the three traditional methods (stakeholder analysis, field application survey, and in-depth interview) well and meticulously.

South China Exchange Meeting

The South China Exchange Meeting, hosted by the SZU-China team, concluded successfully at Shenzhen University (Lihu Campus) on May 17, 2025. At this event, we gathered with iGEMers from various schools across the region. A booth interaction session was featured at the meeting, where our team organized engaging activities like puzzle games with lucky draws. These games were designed to share knowledge about high-folate soybeans in a fun way while encouraging conversations with other teams. Additionally, our team prepared attractive gifts and creative merchandise, which added to the booth's appeal and drew many participants to join in the interactions. Throughout the event, our team showcased strong unity to other participants through our energetic spirit, smooth collaboration, and careful preparation. This cohesion was demonstrated through lively idea exchanges during project planning and seamless coordination during on-site presentations. Most importantly, we fully displayed the core values of South China Agricultural University students—"pursuing truth, staying practical, helping each other, and progressing together"—in every aspect of our participation.

Zhejiang University of Technology

New ideas for the HP framework design of our project were generated through an offline meeting held on July 6, 2025. During this event, Ms. Ling Biyao, HP lead of the iGEM team from Zhejiang University of Technology, visited the College of Life Sciences at South China Agricultural University and conducted project discussions with the two local iGEM teams. The Zhejiang University of Technology team shared their comprehensive design approach for integrated Human Practices (iHP), a component currently missing from our project, which offered valuable insights for developing our own iHP logic chain. Additionally, they presented policy supports for their project, including relevant measures from China's 14th Five-Year Plan, the United Nations Environment Assembly, and the international OECD organization. This exchange heightened our awareness of policy backing related to nutrient-enriched crops.

iGBA Forum

On July 14, 2025, two team members traveled to the University of Hong Kong to participate in the iGBA Forum (Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Synthetic Biology Industry-University-Research Forum). This event offered us a chance to connect with universities from Hong Kong and Macao, along with several enterprises. Attendees included representatives from the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen), and even Jilin University from Northeast China. During the booth exchanges, in-depth discussions were held about each other's project implementation approaches and existing challenges. When talking specifically with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou) about human practice activities, both sides agreed that we should avoid "organizing activities merely for the sake of completing human practice requirements" and instead focus genuinely on how projects can benefit society.

During this event, we also listened to presentations from multiple enterprises, giving us the opportunity to understand how far each iGEM project is from enterprise operations and what possible collaborations exist between enterprises and our iGEM teams. However, most of the enterprises present were focused on areas such as clinical testing, animal disease models, and organoids; unfortunately, there were no agricultural-related companies on site. It is hoped that more companies from different fields will participate in the future!

CCiC

In August 2025, we came to the Beijing Zhongguancun Convention and Exhibition Center to participate in the China International Genetic Engineering Competition Exchange Meeting. This exchange meeting provided us with opportunities for PPT roadshow defense, project poster display, participation in diverse lectures and diverse meetings. At this exchange meeting, we took the initiative to communicate with members from multiple schools such as Tianjin University, Sichuan University, and Nanjing Normal University. We drew design experience and gained new inspiration from different projects. In multiple lectures and meetings, we focused on participating in the sessions where AI and biology intersect. This not only deepened our understanding of AI empowering biological research and industrialization, but also aroused our strong interest in it. At the scene, we can directly listen to the podcasts generated by AI interpreting iGEM projects, and directly use AI programming software to assist in webpage construction. When communicating with multiple members about the team's collaboration model, we further learned that some schools will establish university-level iGEM clubs. With the leading role of the clubs, the construction work such as team selection and member training is more efficient. Some schools even hold exclusive related competitions on campus, which made us feel a lot.

Shanghai Exchange Meeting

On August 24, 2025, the Shanghai iGEM Exchange Meeting hosted by the NACIS Shanghai Carotene iGEM Team was successfully held. This event specially invited Mr. Zhang Xiaohan, iGEM China Ambassador, Mr. Daniel Pan, a cross-disciplinary innovator, Associate Professor Xia Yuanyuan and Associate Professor Cheng Zhongyi from the School of Biological Engineering of Jiangnan University, and Researcher Zhan Mingshuo from Jupeng Biology as guests. It also gathered multiple university teams from Jilin University, South China University of Technology, South China Agricultural University, Tongji University, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, etc. for on-site exchanges and sharing.

Starting from the characteristics of the iGEM competition and the experience of previous excellent teams, Mr. Zhang Xiaohan provided practical competition preparation suggestions for the on-site teams; Mr. Daniel Pan, focusing on the "Wave3d AI Creative Platform", demonstrated how game and modeling technologies can assist in bioengineering science popularization education, providing new ideas for the dissemination of synthetic biology; Professor Xia, Professor Cheng, and Researcher Zhan Mingshuo put forward valuable opinions on the on-site teams. Through this communication, we have gained valuable insights in Human Practice, project design, team management, and other aspects.