The 3rd Synthetic Biology Innovation Competition (SynBio Challenges 2024), organized by the Synthetic Biology Branch of the Chinese Society of Biotechnology and co-hosted by multiple leading institutions including the Shenzhen University of Advanced Technology (SUAT) and the Shenzhen Institute of Synthetic Biology, successfully concluded in Shenzhen.

Focusing on cutting-edge advancements in synthetic biology, the competition provided an exceptional platform for university students worldwide to exchange ideas and showcase their innovative capabilities. this year's event attracted 147 teams from over 60 domestic and international universities, with more than 450 students participating on-site. Since its inception, the competition has seen nearly double the number of participating teams each year, demonstrating its rapidly expanding influence in the field.

This year's edition featured significant enhancements to its competition structure, introducing three specialized tracks spanning multiple frontier areas of synthetic biology: the Green Track focusing on Agriculture and Environment, the Red Track centered on Biomedicine, and the White Track targeting Biochemical Engineering. These tracks encouraged participants to leverage their original innovation capabilities to develop solutions addressing pressing societal needs. The Bacterial Gladiator Competition and Protein Designer Competition maintained their Olympic-style competitive format, testing participants' deep understanding of specific challenges as well as their strategic planning and experimental skills.

Beyond academic excellence, this year's competition incorporated a unique bio-art exhibition and lectures by artists from the Central Academy of Fine Arts, merging synthetic biology with artistic aesthetics and offering participants a multidimensional perspective on the field.

After three days of intense competition, the NEFU_China team from Northeast Forestry University claimed the Grand Prize in the Bio-Chemical Engineering track. Their project employed metabolic engineering and directed evolution strategies for the de novo 4-hydroxymandelate biosynthesis, successfully addressing two critical bottlenecks: insufficient precursor supply and low activity of key enzymes in the biosynthetic pathway.

Additional honors included Best Awards presented to the HELLO-ZJU team from Zhejiang University (Biomedical), Shanghaitech-China team from ShanghaiTech University (Agriculture and Environment), and the NEFU_China team from Northeast Forestry University (Bio-Chemical Engineering). In the specialized tracks, Savage Growth team from Jilin Agricultural University won the Best Bacterial Game Award, while the Nankai Team from Nankai University and the Helix Heroes team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University received the Best Protein Design Award.

International participant Mei Jian from Waseda University, Japan, shared his experience: "Visiting Shenzhen's Major Science and Technology Infrastructure for Synthetic Biology Research allowed me to witness the advanced level of domestic automation and cutting-edge technology. As part of the first overseas team in this competition, I hope to help expand its reach to more international teams."

The competition received substantial support from various organizations, including the Organization Department of the CPC Guangming District Committee of Shenzhen, the Shenzhen Institute of Technology Foundation, and Kweichow Moutai Group as exclusive partner. The Guangming Science City Youth Talent 72-Hour "Science+" Innovation Challenge also contributed to creating memorable moments throughout the event.