From August 21 to 23, 2026, Shenzhen will host the finals of the SynBio Challenges, an event officially selected as part of the UNESCO International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD) initiatives. This year’s competition has drawn over 3,000 participants representing more than 500 teams from nine countries and regions, with approximately 1,000 finalists set to compete in person at the offline finals.

The competition is supported by the Shenzhen Synthetic Biology Infrastructure, a major national scientific facility which provides automated high-throughput experimental platforms designed to lower innovation barriers for student researchers.

As an affiliated event of the National Youth Science and Technology Innovation Competition, the SynBio Challenges annually recommends 20 outstanding participants for national-level contests and the CAST President Award, helping to cultivate the next generation of leaders in synthetic biology.

The event features six distinct tracks:

Regular Track: Covering three categories: Health & Medical, Agriculture & Environment, and Industry.

Bacterial Gladiator Track

BioFoundry-Supported Protein Design Track

Synthetic Cell Track: Focusing on foundational technologies for building life systems.

Responsible Innovation in Life Sciences Track: Emphasizing ethics and biosafety.

Industry Challenges Track (newly launched): Outstanding teams may receive corporate investment and opportunities for further collaboration.

The finals will begin live streaming at 09:00 on August 21, 2026. Tune in via the following links:

Main Venue: https://www.koushare.com/live/details/54855

Sub-Venue 1: https://www.koushare.com/live/details/54856

Sub-Venue 2: https://www.koushare.com/live/details/54857

Sub-Venue 3: https://www.koushare.com/live/details/54858

Live coverage will also be available on the official SynBio Challenges YouTube channel. For updates, follow “SynBio Challenges” on X, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.