FAQ for new iGEM teams

From 2006.igem.org

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How should we raise money? / How do we start?

Some basics of fundraising:

• It starts by crafting a compelling message. Why is iGEM important to your team and why should others support you? There is no shortage of these with iGEM. A few: It promotes collaborative interaction on a near-global scale; the open sharing of biological parts and data; provides a rich, unparalleled educational experience for students; pushes the limits of synthetic biology. Each team is going to bring a slightly different perspective to this.

• Let your team's excitement and commitment be clearly seen. Don't be afraid to show some enthusiasm for participating. It's hard to refuse giving some support to people that are eager and keen and giving up their summer to do something worthwhile.

• Underscore why the supervisors are choosing to be involved and what they are putting into the program. People are more likely to support your team if they see that the leaders are heavily invested.

• More than just participation, project goals that are clearly understandable (even if the technical details are not) will help. Even if the project is relatively simple, where might it lead in a few years? Today's bacterial thermometer could be tomorrow's natural biosensor for environmental toxins.

• There should be a sense of urgency, that the funds are needed now. How the funds are to be used is important. People like to know where money is going. Is it to pay stipends, buy equipment or reagents, or support travel? Clearly show where there are sponsorship opportunities and for what amounts.

• Utilize a broad range of fundraisign methods. Personally approaching and soliciting prospects, be they individuals or organizations, is by far the most successful. This may be a meeting with your team with a person or group, or by inviting sponsors to attend a formal presentation where the team makes a case for their needs. This may require leveraging personal or professional contacts, talking with other fundraising groups at your school (alumni and business development groups have a lot of experience with this sort of thing), telephone calls, or other legwork.

• Use the media. If your team is being featured in a school newspaper, local newspaper, etc., make a part of the message about how people interested in supporting your team can do so. Do they need to contact a certain person? The department office? Go to a web site?

• Take the time to thank and recognize people for their suppport.

An excellent example of how to go about fundraising was provided by the Cambridge 2005 team, which produced a brochure, contacted local biotechnology companies, and hosted presentations. They successfully received financial and in-kind support. Also consider speaking with various department heads (iGEM is multidisciplinary) and with companies that might one day benefit from project outputs, eg. energy companies, chemical companies, manufacturing, etc.

How do we find new parts?

This feature has been added to development version of the Parts Registry, which will be released before the start of the 2006 iGEM competition in early May.

How do we go about specifying and designing a system?

Some instructions and how-to's are being prepared on this and should be available soon. The new registry features are still in development. You can find links to previous projects under the 'previous years' menu bar (screen left).

What should we have done by when?

See the iGEM timeline for a general overview.

We need more lab space, how do we find some?

Check with the department office, facilities management, other nearby labs, etc. Most student teaching labs are shut down throughout the summer and have space.

Do teams still work on systems after the summer is over?

Some of the teams keep working to finish up projects and presentations right up to the jamboree, so yes. This will vary by team.

Navigating the registry is hard, most of the parts have very little information. How can I find good parts?

Registry changes are underway to make this easier. These will be ready for launch at the beginning of May. More help information will also be provided.

How do I make a part?

Step by step instructions for various examples are being prepared