Description of Contest
Replacing nonrenewable energy sources with solar-powered bacteria, curing diseases with engineered microbes, producing new biochemicals and materials in cells--these are some of the goals of synthetic biology, a new field that seeks to design and build biological systems.
To realize the potential of synthetic biology, and to understand the ethical, legal, and societal implications of synthetic biology, UC Berkeley researchers are interested in building new partnerships with stakeholders in industry, government, and civil society. Existing partnerships that are designed to promote the benefits of synthetic biology and to understand and govern its risks, include:
A $42 million collaboration between UC Berkeley, One World Health and Amyris Biotechnologies to dramatically lower the cost of artemsinin, the most effective anti-malarial drug.
A 20-month study by MIT, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Venter Institute to identify the policies that could reduce the risks associated with synthetic genomics.
The 2008 Prospects for Synthetic Biology white paper competition wants to hear about your vision for new collaborations and partnerships that could promote the benefits of synthetic biology and/or reduce the risks associated with its development.
Your paper should describe:
- The goal of the collaboration
- How different partners would work together to achieve this goal
- Evidence for the scientific, technological, economic, or political feasibility of this collaboration
It is our hope that the best ideas generated by this competition will help shape the agenda for the field of synthetic biology.
Deadline
All submissions are due 5:00 p.m. April 14, 2008. Late entries will not be accepted. All entries should be submitted electronically to synthbio.cal@gmail.com in pdf format.
Length
Papers should be 5-10 pages, not including appendices.
Prize
A total of $10,000 in cash prizes is available, which will be allocated as follows:
- First Place: $5,000
- Second Place: $3,000
- Third Place: $2,000
Prizes will only be awarded if there are high-quality submissions.
Eligibility
Teams must include at least one UC Berkeley undergraduate or graduate students. Collaborations with students from campuses involved in SYNBERC (the Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center), such as UCSF, MIT, Harvard, and Prairie View A&M, are particularly welcome.
Decisions of the Judges
Decisions of the judges are final and not subject to appeal.
Required Information
The following information must be required (which does not count against the 5-10 page limit):
- Names and brief bios of team members, including major and student status (e.g. undergrad, grad)
- Contact information for primary contact.
- Whether or not you consent to public, online dissemination of your white paper.
- 1-2 paragraphs on what your team would do with the money.