Recently, we were delighted to welcome over 80 in-person attendees (and many more online) to our Kick-Off Event to celebrate the official launch of the Center for Synthetic Genomics Heidelberg-Karlsruhe-Mainz. The day opened with a warm introduction to the Center by the Directorate, setting the tone for an open, interdisciplinary event. 
 

Alongside an introduction by the directors and the Center’s internal Research Group Leaders and Platform Leaders presenting their research and perspectives, we welcomed two international guests: Prof. Dr. Ian Ehrenreich introduced "Synthetic genomic approaches to the study of natural variation and evolution" to us, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Erika Szymanski asked "What’s unique about synthetic genomics? An STS perspective", discussing her valuable views on humanities/social-sciences aspects of synthetic genomics. 
 

It again became clear that synthetic genomics is a hot topic in research with exciting new developments ranging from Artificial Intelligence (AI) to new DNA technologies. Stimulated by the presentations, conversations sparked during this event around challenges in synthetic DNA and gene regulation, designing and engineering biology or the use of AI in Synthetic Genomics, but also around the increasingly pressing necessity of ethical frameworks for this rapidly advancing field. Our three locations and blended expertise give us the leverage to turn ideas into impact across synthetic genomics.
 

We were also excited to announce our second call for Seed Funding applications at the Kick-Off Event. This initiative aims to support innovative synthetic genomics projects and foster new research collaborations. Details on eligibility and application processes can be found here. 
 

A big thank you to the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung, and to all participants, speakers, and organizers who made the launch such a success! We’re looking forward to many inspiring projects and discoveries to come.