Build a Biotech 2026 Competition

“Build a Biotech” is a start-up competition organised by the Northwest Biotech Initiative in collaboration with the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Catalyst (IBIC). The main aim of the competition is to make biotech innovation coming from academia in the northwest a sounding reality. The participants will learn how to turn a good idea into a real business opportunity and have the chance to pitch to investors and industry experts. The winners teams will receive up to £15000 cash prize. 

This year, we are delighted to announce that we will deliver an in-person competition that will host the seminar “Biotech, Rewired” in parallel. You will have the chance to listen to a successful founder and a venture capital firm that will facilitate further networking among the entrepreneurial biotech ecosystem. While the competition will be closed to participants only, the seminar attendees will have the opportunity to hear and vote for the best Elevator pitch of the finalists (optional to the teams), to give them additional cash prizes. 

This competition is open to undergraduate students, postgraduate students, PDRAs and university staff who are interested in gaining a thorough understanding of entrepreneurship in biotechnology. The applicants will be selected on the basis of their application and demonstration of their business potential. The places are limited to 10 teams. Teams should be between 1-4 people. If you would like to participate but don’t have a team and would really like to partner with someone, please email us at [email protected] and we will do our best to find you a team. In case no one else is available, you can submit your application as a solo founder and if successful, we can connect you with our network to help you find co-founders. 

Team ideas can be related to any biotechnology application, but we encourage participants to focus on the following topic:

• Industrial Biotechnology
• Artificial Intelligence