IGEM

SPONSORSHIP
PROPOSAL

YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS,
OUR TALENT,
A SHARED PROJECT

SUBMITTED BY iGEM CALGARY

SUBMITTED ON FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2009

 iGEM
The International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) competition is an undergraduate
student driven summer research project, culminating with the annual iGEM conferenceat the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, MA. The central concept of iGEM is
the application of principles from engineering and computer science to design and build biological
systems that are characterized, robust and controllable. In essence, we use the methodology
offered by Synthetic Biology to engineer genetic circuits that endow novel and useful functions
upon our genetically engineered machines. iGEM is…

…the next generation of

Biotechnology.
Synthetic Biology allows for the creation of
biological machines and devices capable of
an enormous breadth of industrial
applications with exquisite control.
…standardized Biology.
Standardized and proven methods for the
construction of biological machines following
iGEM requirements brings Biology out of
academic labs and into the hands of the
industry.
…an interdisciplinary
enterprise.
Cross-discipline collaboration creates
biological machines of value in several
engineering applications from Healthcare to
Nanotechnology to industrial
manufacturing/processing. …a training platform.
This student-lead initiative is pushing the
boundaries of modern education and giving
future synthetic biologist the tools they
need to confront the coming technical and
ethical challenges.

iGEM is a revolution.
iGEM Calgary | igem@ucalgary.ca | 403-210-8156 1
 iGEM Calgary
History

Entering its fourth year, the University of Calgary’s iGEM team has an impressive track record.
In 2006, our team participated in iGEM for the first time and earned the "Conquest of Adversity"
award. The 2007 iGEM team won a Gold Medal and the Best Poster Award. Last year, we
entered three iGEM teams from the University of Calgary: Wetware, Software and Ethics. At the
iGEM 2008 Jamboree, our Wetware and Software teams were awarded Silver Medals,
recognizing the University of Calgary as the best Canadian university at the competition.

Mission Statement

In the long run, the University of Calgary’s iGEM team primarily aims to build the Synthetic
Biology community of Alberta to promote both academic and industrial undertakings. With
respect this year’s project, we are characterizing a bacterial cell-to-cell communication system to
facilitate the communal coordination of bacterial activities, giving way to numerous applications.

The Project and Team

The goal for this year’s project is to

build a novel bacterial communication
system. Bacterial cell-to-cell
communication was recently
discovered and has received much
interest from the academia as well as
from the industry. While bacteria may
be engineered to undertake a specific
task such as the manufacturing of a
target drug, promoting bioremediation
or bioprocessing, because of their
small size, scaling up of these
processes remains a major
technological hurdle. In an effort to
coordinate the target activities of
bacterial machines, we are building
up a natural marine bacterium’s
communication system (i.e.
Autoinducer-2 signaling) in a
laboratory strain of bacteria.

The majority of pathogenic bacteria use the Autoinducer-2 communication system to cause a wide
variety of human disease (e.g., cholera, strep throat and meningitis). The synthesis of this
communication system will allow us to better understand the system through which pathogenic
bacteria coordinate infections and to use this system as a novel target for antimicrobial therapies.

iGEM Calgary | igem@ucalgary.ca | 403-210-8156 2

Furthermore, with completion of the signalling system we open the door for many processes such
as biomanufacturing of drugs and infection diagnosis. Time permitting we will investigate these
applications.

The major advantage of our iGEM-based approach to the implementation of our project is the
presence of standardized components and techniques. The iGEM competition provides each team
with a library of previously assembled parts, referred to as Biobricks. Each Biobrick part is a
piece of DNA that can be assembled with other parts necessary to construct the genetic circuits to
establish our synthetic signalling circuit in a standardized and iterative way. Last year, we were
able to standardize all of the components of the signalling system and expect the completion of
our project following techniques we have established.

Other areas of the project include

computational modelling which predicts and
evaluates the behavior of our signaling system.
Moreover, we are using the user-friendly,
virtual environment of Second Life to present
the basics of Synthetic Biology to the general
public. Also we will be examining the ethical
implications of constructing a synthetic system
so as to address potential concerns. Finally, our
Marketing and Outreach teams strive to raise
the profile of Synthetic Biology within Alberta
and to find the financial support to fund out
project.

Our 2009 University of Calgary’s iGEM team

consists of students and facilitators with a
variety of backgrounds. These include Sciences, Engineering, Medicine and Kinesiology.

Achievements to Date

iGEM Calgary has thus far

secured close to $90 000 from
various sponsoring
institutions. The majority of
these funds are going towards
providing salaries for student
work. The remainder is
allocated towards subsidizing
project expenses (i.e. lab
expenses). A visual
breakdown of sponsor
contributions is provided to
the right.

iGEM Calgary | igem@ucalgary.ca | 403-210-8156 3

 Partnership Opportunities
Areas of Sponsorship

Contributions to the University of Calgary iGEM team can include financial donations. Facets
from our projected budget where donations will be used include:

• Materials required for lab $12 000

o DNA synthesis and sequencing ($2 000), restriction endonucleases ($1

600), molecular biology kits ($2 800), DNA polymerases ($1 700) and
various bacterial culture material ($3 900)

• Travel expenses $16 000

o Flights to MIT($13 500), accommodations for iGEM

Jamboree ($1 900) and accommodations and travel for Alberta-
wide Jamboree ($600)

In addition to financial donations, iGEM Calgary also welcomes support in the form of:

• In-kind donations of laboratory reagents and/or equipment

• Discounted prices for molecular biology services and/or products

• Promoting iGEM to personal contacts and networks

• Mentorship in the areas of Science, Engineering and Marketing

Benefits to our Sponsors

Acting in the capacity of a sponsor for iGEM Calgary, organizations stands to experience the
benefits of increased external visibility.
Depending on the nature of the partnership,
an organization will receive recognition on
our website, promotional materials and
research presentations. iGEM involves high
profile researchers, accomplished
undergraduate students and socially
conscious organizations. At the iGEM
Jamboree, teams from over 100 top
universities will be present. It is at this
event that support for iGEM Calgary will be
recognized by an international community,
increasing one’s presence in both the local
and international market.

iGEM Calgary | igem@ucalgary.ca | 403-210-8156 4

Our project also allows companies to positively engage in society as a supporter for education. We
aim to integrate corporate involvement into education in research development. Contributions
encourage students to pursue entrepreneurial initiatives. We also recognize that beyond the
competition itself, we have the tremendous opportunity of laying the foundation for this
community in Alberta through inter-disciplinary education of both ourselves as well as the
general public. Engaging in corporate social responsibility, organizations add another dimension
to their own brand.

For further details, please consult our sponsorship grid.

Sponsorship Monetary value of Returns to Sponsor

involvement
Community Partner $100 - $999 Inclusion of logo on website
Bronze $1000 - $2 999 Above, and
Appearance on any promotional
material
Silver $3 000 - $5 999 Above, and
Visibility on Jamboree T-shirt
Gold $6 000 - $9 999 Above, and
Inclusion of logo on posters
Platinum $10 000+ Above, and
Visual and verbal recognition at
events/presentations
Reference in media publication

iGEM Calgary | igem@ucalgary.ca | 403-210-8156 5

Current Sponsors (as of May 20, 2009)

Bronze Sponsor

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING FACULTY OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Silver Sponsor

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

Gold Sponsor

P.U.R.E. PROGRAM

Platinum Sponsor

Please do not hesitate to contact iGEM Calgary to tailor a partnership to your needs.

iGEM Calgary | igem@ucalgary.ca | 403-210-8156 6