Update: 13 Feb 2023

There is approximately $4000 USD in proceeds from GR15 for the iGEM project. Acknowledging that we don’t have the resources to field our own team this year, we have pivoted to a new strategy: using these funds to offer three prizes to existing iGEM teams who are aligned with open science, DeSci, and LabDAO.

These sponsorships will be awarded on a competitive basis to teams which apply. We will also provide additional computational/scientific support on a case by case basis.

Goals for this initiative:

  1. Generate awareness of LabDAO within the iGEM community (marketing!)
  2. Identify new users of the platform and tools and enable continuation of their 2023 projects by creating custom tooling (customer discovery and sales!)
  3. Identify individuals who may be a good fit for a true LabDAO-hosted decentralized team in 2024 (recruiting!)
  4. Use this as a foothold with iGEM HQ to sponsor a DeSci prize at the 2023 jamboree (marketing!)
  5. Engage our scientific advisors / SAB (scientific advisory board?) and broader community through reviewing applications for our prizes and in supporting aligned/cool/interesting/useful iGEM teams (community!)

Process:

  1. Distribute memo describing the sponsorship through the iGEM community
    1. Application involves google form / survey
  2. Review of applications by SAB/expert panel
  3. Award prizes: $2000 for winner, 2x$1000 runner up prizes (?)
  4. Support teams based on their applications; even non-winners may be supported!
  5. Present DeSci prize at 2023 Jamboree

To do:

  1. Write memo / 1-pager & associated collateral

    1. Email to go out via iGEM HQ?
    2. Tweets?
    3. Website updates?
    4. Application form (see below)

  2. Application form:

    1. Determine criteria/questions to ask applicants
    2. Idea: ask some broad, open questions about the team and project. Let them submit in a format that they think best lets them express this: slide deck, written answers, presentation with Loom/Zoom recording

    what questions do we ask tho…

  3. Determine parameters:

    1. Application deadline
    2. Prize amounts

Announcing the 2023 iGEM team sponsorship by LabDAO

Our website (what do we want to do with this? have it just be the sponsorship/contest we’re announcing?)