KCL Biotechnology &
Synthetic
Biology Society
Welcome to Bio-Hackathon KCL 2024: Synthesizing Solutions for Global Health! 

In alignment with the World Health Organization's initiatives, this year's Bio-Hackathon invites bright minds to address critical global health challenges through the innovative lens of synthetic biology and biotech. Join us to improve lives and reshape the future of global health. Kindly supported by Gilead Science! 

Who should attend?

We're open to all Undergraduate and Graduate Students from diverse scientific disciplines.

Why participate?

- Engage with pressing health challenges identified by the WHO.

- Develop and apply skills in problem framing, rapid prototyping, and more.

- Collaborate with a diverse team, fostering interdisciplinary solutions.

- Learn from experts through skill-enhancing workshops.

- Pitch your innovative solutions and gain real-world experience.

Addressing WHO Global Health Problems:

Participants will focus on key areas such as: 

- Improving human capital across life stages.

- Combating non-communicable diseases and promoting mental health.

- Eradicating high impact communicable diseases.

- Tackling antimicrobial resistance.

- Mitigating health effects of climate change in vulnerable regions.

 

skills you will develop:

Problem Framing: Understand and define bio-challenges and opportunities.

- Rapid Prototyping: Bring ideas to life swiftly.

Business Strategy Development: Plan for growth and sustainability in biotech ventures.

Stakeholder Management: Foster beneficial relationships within the biotech community.

Networking in BioTech: Connect with industry leaders, researchers, and potential investors.

 

How you will do it

1. Innovate with SynBio: Tackle health challenges using synthetic biology. 

2. Team Collaboration: Join forces in teams of 4-6 to brainstorm and innovate. 

3. Expert-Led Workshops: Enhance your skills with insights from leading professionals.

4. Project Showcase: Present your solutions, simulating a real-world biotech pitch environment.

5. Pizza & Red Bull: To help the innovation flow!

Sustainability Biohackathon 2023:

Testimonials

"I love how the committee has structured the sequence of the workshops, starting from developing our skills to form connection with peers and professionals to teaching us about how to appreciate our own and teammates' skills. Great line-up on the speakers invited and I've definitely learned a lot throughout the workshops. Other than the speakers, the committees were also selfless to share their experiences and tips which guided me and my team on the right path."

"Thank you so much to the organising committee once again for putting up such an amazing initiatives for undergraduates like me to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself in this Biohackthon. I appreciate all the assistance and advices provided throughout the whole journey and I must say without all of you I wouldn't have such a fruitful Reading Week spent! Thanks for everything and I'll be really glad to speak to any of you soon <3"

"I absolutely loved this biohackathon. To be very honest, I had minimum expectation for this event as well as for myself; it's during the reading week, and I just wanted to figure out what synthetic biology is. But I became entirely engaged since the first workshop on Monday. I noticed the amount of effort the speakers have put into their presentations and their genuine passion in guiding us (naive undergrads). I don't know about others, but personally I loved the entrepreneurship content-- I am very passionate about biotech start-ups and innovation in general. So overall, I had an amazing experience and would like to say a big thank you to the synbio committee behind all this!"

"Nikki and Sam in particular in my opinion are absolutely delightful, polite and caring individuals who made this experience genuinely much more enjoyable and fun!"

"Thank you to everyone for allowing me to take part in the biohackathon ! I have gained so much insight and was able to work with so many lovely people !! I am looking forward to doing this again and taking part in other opportunities in the future :)"