• TRACKS:
• ENERGY
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• NEW APPLICATION
  
  
• NEW TRACKS:
• Introduction
• Awards
• Requirements
• ART AND DESIGN
  • Introduction
  • Project brief
  • Requirements
  • Medal Criteria
  • Cross-Track Prize
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• COMMUNITY LABS
  • Introduction
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  • Committee
• ENTREPRENEURSHIP
• Introduction
• Previous competitions
• Previous teams
• Requirements
• Medal Criteria
• Committee
• MEASUREMENT
• Introduction
• Track Details
• Requirements
• Interlab Study
• Medal Criteria
• Committee
• MICROFLUIDICS
  • Introduction
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  • References
• POLICY AND PRACTICES
• Introduction
• Track Details
• Exemplar Projects
• Medal Criteria
• Committee
• SOFTWARE
• Introduction
• Track Details
• Resources
• Requirements
• Medal Criteria
• Committee

iGEM 2014 Entrepreneurship New Track

Introduction

We are excited to announce an entrepreneurship track in iGEM 2014.

Entrepreneurship in iGEM is about fostering the development of a new industry where Synthetic Biology is the underlying technological platform. As with any new industry, it is not clear which business plans will be the most successful. But, there are also more fundamental questions: What Business models will succeed, how will intellectual property affect company formation and funding, what skills are required at each stage of company’s life cycle, how will government policies promote or hinder new companies, what will be the social contract with Synthetic Biology companies?

While teams have gone on to start companies from very early on in the history of iGEM, entrepreneurship was first introduced as a separate division in 2012. The inaugural year saw 18 teams register, and 14 of those attended the Jamboree at MIT. The division was folded back into the main competition as a track in 2013.

Previous teams

2012

2013

From their wiki: "We are building a safe, user-friendly, affordable biotechnology laboratory in a beautiful 13 x 11 inch box, containing a centrifuge, a PCR machine and a gel electrophoresis unit inclusive with transilluminator.

Our aim is to increase the reach of synthetic biology by providing the tools and infrastructure that will make biotechnology more accessible in educational settings and in citizen science. Darwin Toolbox connects effortlessly to a laptop or tablet computer to help keep track of experiment records and enabling them to be easily shared online with friends and collaborators."

Calgary won the 2013 competition with the development of their FREDsense project.

From their iGEM wiki: "We are FREDsense Technologies, a Calgary-based venture developing biosensor detection systems to rapidly determine toxicity in water samples. Our first product is a sensor for general toxicity. Capable of reporting an output in under five minutes, it is cost effective due to the simple materials used in its construction, and highly robust through built-in control systems. Currently, we have submitted a provisional patent on our technology, which has a wide variety of uses as a platform technology with numerous different potential markets beyond this first iteration.

Our product fits into the environmental monitoring market, a market that has been established as a byproduct of the oil and gas sector, which produces over 200 million litres of waste water per day. This waste is contained in massive lakes known as tailings ponds, which pose a serious concern to both the environment and to industrial processes. Alberta’s Provincial government enforces a zero discharge policy of water from these ponds, and government regulation requires that oil sands companies monitor their tailings ponds. As well, regulation enforces monitoring water quality in the surrounding lakes, water streams, and ecologically sensitive areas. Present technologies for monitoring water quality in the oil sands are highly analytical, however they pose problems due to their expensive nature, requirements for highly trained personnel, sample processing time, and the need for materials to be transported to off-site facilities. There is a need for new technology in order to meet the growing need to monitor samples on-site in a rapid and cost-effective manner."

Previous iGEM Entrepreneurship competitions:

• 2012
• 2013

Requirements:

Entrepreneurship teams must meet the general iGEM 2014 requirements. In addition, Entrepreneurship teams must meet the following track specific requirements:

• Lightning pitch: iGEM Entrepreneurship teams should prepare a lightening or elevator pitch. This should be a 3 minute summary of what you are trying to do, how you are doing it and why your audience should invest in you.
• Business Plan Submission: Submissions are needed to create a valuable community and commons of ideas. Teams are required to document the inspiration and examples of their business models, and solutions to common problems early SB entrepreneurs will likely encounter. The team's submission must be documented on the iGEM Wiki, including but not limited to a public executive summary, elevator pitch (max 3 min) video, and public presentation (Slides). You may upload your video to Vimeo or similar video sharing site that allows embedding so you can share your video on your Wiki, but you must also provide a copy to iGEM HQ.
• Confidentiality: iGEM does not take a position for or against intellectual property in Synthetic Biology. Note that the iGEM Entrepreneurship track does not require judges to sign non-disclosure agreements.
• Parts: Teams in the Entrepreneurship track will not receive a copy of the 2014 distribution. They are not required to perform wet-lab work or to deposit new BioBricks in the Registry. Teams that do wish to receive a distribution copy of the 2014 Distribution must request one from entrepreneurship [at] igem [dot] org, and be affiliated with a university or community laboratory. Teams that do wish to use and submit a new part must adhere to safety and iGEM submission guidelines.

Entrepreneurship Track Committee:

We are still assembling the committee for iGEM 2014. If you are interested, please contact hq [at] igem [dot] org.