Win for the ‘Vilnius-Lithuania iGEM’ Team at the ‘Nordic iGEM Conference’

The ‘Vilnius-Lithuania iGEM’ student team of Vilnius University (VU) has won first place at the ‘Nordic iGEM Conference’ (NiC), a competition that brings together ‘iGEM’ teams from the Nordic and Baltic countries. The Lithuanian students competed in a field of seven teams from six European countries, even outperforming participants from higher study cycles. 

Held annually over three days, the ‘Nordic iGEM Conference’ is one of the most important stages of preparation ahead of the international synthetic biology competition ‘iGEM’. Teams from the Nordic and Baltic countries gather at the regional event, where they present the projects they are developing, receive feedback from the judges, observe the progress of other teams, and assess their readiness ahead of the year’s main competition. 

This year, seven teams from France, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Lithuania took part in the conference. The ‘Vilnius-Lithuania iGEM’ team, which consists of Bachelor’s students and competes in the ‘Undergrad’ category, also faced teams from higher study cycles. 

According to Oskaras Belousovas, leader of the ‘Vilnius-Lithuania iGEM’ team, the students travelled to the competition hoping to gauge how well prepared they already were for the main ‘iGEM’ competition. 

‘We went with the idea that we wanted to put ourselves to the test – to see where our weaknesses lie and which areas still need improvement. We had the opportunity to present the problem we are researching and the work behind our main project. We also received feedback from the ‘iGEM’ judges and were able to see what stage other teams’ projects had reached,’ explained Oskaras Belousovas. 

The VU student team stood out for its idea and progress in laboratory research 

In the team’s view, the win was down not only to the innovativeness of the project idea but also to the considerable headway already made in the practical work related to the research. The Lithuanian team presented extensive laboratory research results at the competition and was prepared to substantiate its decisions in detail and answer the judges’ questions. 

‘We believe our project stood out for its innovativeness and for the way we presented it. We were thoroughly prepared to defend our idea and answer any questions that arose. We were also one of the teams presenting the most extensive laboratory results – by the time of the conference, we had already made substantial progress. We believe it was precisely this level of preparation that the judges received so positively,’ said the team leader. 

Winning first place was also an important confirmation for the team that the direction the project is taking is of interest not only to its creators. 

‘It means a great deal to us to know that people believe in our project and that we can achieve so much. It is especially encouraging to hear from the judges that the idea we are developing genuinely interests them. This only motivates us further to aim high,’ said Oskaras Belousovas. 

Next up: the main competition in Paris 

For several years now, the ‘Nordic iGEM Conference’ has formed an important part of the Lithuanian team’s preparation for the global ‘iGEM’ competition. At the regional event, students can practice presenting their project and receive comments from professional judges ahead of the main competition. 

Although the feedback this time was particularly favourable, the team says it regards the judges’ comments as an opportunity to refine the project further. 

‘The judges were generous with their praise, but they also provided some constructive criticism. We take all of this as an opportunity to grow and improve, so that we can perform to the best of our ability in Paris in November,’ says Oskaras Belousovas. 

The ‘Vilnius-Lithuania iGEM’ team is now continuing to develop the project and preparing for its most important stage – the global ‘iGEM’ competition taking place in November, which will bring together over 400 synthetic biology teams from around the world. 

For more information about the ‘Vilnius-Lithuania iGEM’ team’s project and how to contribute to its implementation, please visit the Vilnius University Foundation website. To meet the team, please come to the Vilnius University Alumni Festival on 19 September.