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From 2012.igem.org

DIYbio, iGEM and the Registry of Parts

As we started working on the "Public BioBrick" we became increasingly interested in the relationship between DIYbio and the Registry of Parts. Currently, only licensed academic labs that host an iGEM team have access to the Registry. We define "access" as the ability to get and contribute physical DNA and add experience data.

In 2009, iGEM briefly allowed DIYbio groups to register for the competition, but this was quickly stopped after two months. Meagan Lizaro explained to us that this was due to safety concerns with non-regulated groups and because it was explicitly forbidden by MIT.