Igem Sponsorship Package

IGEM

SPONSORSHIP PROPOSAL

YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS, OUR TALENT,

A SHARED PROJECT

SUBMITTED BY iGEM CALGARY SUBMITTED ON FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2009

iGEM The International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) competition is an undergraduate student driven summer research project, culminating with the annual iGEM conferenceat the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA. The central concept of iGEM is the application of principles from engineering and computer science to design and build biological systems that are characterized, robust and controllable. In essence, we use the methodology offered by Synthetic Biology to engineer genetic circuits that endow novel and useful functions upon our genetically engineered machines. iGEM is…

…the next generation of Biotechnology. Synthetic Biology allows for the creation of biological machines and devices capable of an enormous breadth of industrial applications with exquisite control.

…an interdisciplinary enterprise. Cross-discipline collaboration creates biological machines of value in several engineering applications from Healthcare to Nanotechnology to industrial manufacturing/processing.

…standardized Biology. Standardized and proven methods for the construction of biological machines following iGEM requirements brings Biology out of academic labs and into the hands of the industry.

…a training platform. This student-lead initiative is pushing the boundaries of modern education and giving future synthetic biologist the tools they need to confront the coming technical and ethical challenges.

iGEM is a revolution. iGEM Calgary | [email protected] | 403-210-8156

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iGEM Calgary History Entering its fourth year, the University of Calgary’s iGEM team has an impressive track record. In 2006, our team participated in iGEM for the first time and earned the "Conquest of Adversity" award. The 2007 iGEM team won a Gold Medal and the Best Poster Award. Last year, we entered three iGEM teams from the University of Calgary: Wetware, Software and Ethics. At the iGEM 2008 Jamboree, our Wetware and Software teams were awarded Silver Medals, recognizing the University of Calgary as the best Canadian university at the competition. Mission Statement In the long run, the University of Calgary’s iGEM team primarily aims to build the Synthetic Biology community of Alberta to promote both academic and industrial undertakings. With respect this year’s project, we are characterizing a bacterial cell-to-cell communication system to facilitate the communal coordination of bacterial activities, giving way to numerous applications. The Project and Team The goal for this year’s project is to build a novel bacterial communication system. Bacterial cell-to-cell communication was recently discovered and has received much interest from the academia as well as from the industry. While bacteria may be engineered to undertake a specific task such as the manufacturing of a target drug, promoting bioremediation or bioprocessing, because of their small size, scaling up of these processes remains a major technological hurdle. In an effort to coordinate the target activities of bacterial machines, we are building up a natural marine bacterium’s communication system (i.e. Autoinducer-2 signaling) in a laboratory strain of bacteria. The majority of pathogenic bacteria use the Autoinducer-2 communication system to cause a wide variety of human disease (e.g., cholera, strep throat and meningitis). The synthesis of this communication system will allow us to better understand the system through which pathogenic bacteria coordinate infections and to use this system as a novel target for antimicrobial therapies. iGEM Calgary | [email protected] | 403-210-8156

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Furthermore, with completion of the signalling system we open the door for many processes such as biomanufacturing of drugs and infection diagnosis. Time permitting we will investigate these applications. The major advantage of our iGEM-based approach to the implementation of our project is the presence of standardized components and techniques. The iGEM competition provides each team with a library of previously assembled parts, referred to as Biobricks. Each Biobrick part is a piece of DNA that can be assembled with other parts necessary to construct the genetic circuits to establish our synthetic signalling circuit in a standardized and iterative way. Last year, we were able to standardize all of the components of the signalling system and expect the completion of our project following techniques we have established. Other areas of the project include computational modelling which predicts and evaluates the behavior of our signaling system. Moreover, we are using the user-friendly, virtual environment of Second Life to present the basics of Synthetic Biology to the general public. Also we will be examining the ethical implications of constructing a synthetic system so as to address potential concerns. Finally, our Marketing and Outreach teams strive to raise the profile of Synthetic Biology within Alberta and to find the financial support to fund out project. Our 2009 University of Calgary’s iGEM team consists of students and facilitators with a variety of backgrounds. These include Sciences, Engineering, Medicine and Kinesiology. Achievements to Date iGEM Calgary has thus far secured close to $90 000 from various sponsoring institutions. The majority of these funds are going towards providing salaries for student work. The remainder is allocated towards subsidizing project expenses (i.e. lab expenses). A visual breakdown of sponsor contributions is provided to the right.

iGEM Calgary | [email protected] | 403-210-8156

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Partnership Opportunities Areas of Sponsorship Contributions to the University of Calgary iGEM team can include financial donations. Facets from our projected budget where donations will be used include: •

Materials required for lab o

•

DNA synthesis and sequencing ($2 000), restriction endonucleases ($1 600), molecular biology kits ($2 800), DNA polymerases ($1 700) and various bacterial culture material ($3 900)

Travel expenses o

$12 000

$16 000

Flights to MIT($13 500), accommodations for iGEM Jamboree ($1 900) and accommodations and travel for Albertawide Jamboree ($600)

In addition to financial donations, iGEM Calgary also welcomes support in the form of: •

In-kind donations of laboratory reagents and/or equipment

•

Discounted prices for molecular biology services and/or products

•

Promoting iGEM to personal contacts and networks

•

Mentorship in the areas of Science, Engineering and Marketing

Benefits to our Sponsors Acting in the capacity of a sponsor for iGEM Calgary, organizations stands to experience the benefits of increased external visibility. Depending on the nature of the partnership, an organization will receive recognition on our website, promotional materials and research presentations. iGEM involves high profile researchers, accomplished undergraduate students and socially conscious organizations. At the iGEM Jamboree, teams from over 100 top universities will be present. It is at this event that support for iGEM Calgary will be recognized by an international community, increasing one’s presence in both the local and international market.

iGEM Calgary | [email protected] | 403-210-8156

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Our project also allows companies to positively engage in society as a supporter for education. We aim to integrate corporate involvement into education in research development. Contributions encourage students to pursue entrepreneurial initiatives. We also recognize that beyond the competition itself, we have the tremendous opportunity of laying the foundation for this community in Alberta through inter-disciplinary education of both ourselves as well as the general public. Engaging in corporate social responsibility, organizations add another dimension to their own brand. For further details, please consult our sponsorship grid. Sponsorship Community Partner Bronze

Silver Gold Platinum

Monetary value of Returns to Sponsor involvement $100 - $999 Inclusion of logo on website $1000 - $2 999 Above, and Appearance on any promotional material $3 000 - $5 999 Above, and Visibility on Jamboree T-shirt $6 000 - $9 999 Above, and Inclusion of logo on posters $10 000+ Above, and Visual and verbal recognition at events/presentations Reference in media publication

iGEM Calgary | [email protected] | 403-210-8156

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Current Sponsors (as of May 20, 2009) Bronze Sponsor

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

FACULTY OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Silver Sponsor .

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

Gold Sponsor

P.U.R.E. PROGRAM

Platinum Sponsor

Please do not hesitate to contact iGEM Calgary to tailor a partnership to your needs.

iGEM Calgary | [email protected] | 403-210-8156

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