Questions, answered plainly.

Yes. Some journals exist to publish secondary school research, and work that makes a real contribution can be accepted by general journals or conference workshops. Getting there takes a question you can answer, a careful method, a paper in the IMRaD structure and a venue at the right level; our journal has a step-by-step guide. Acceptance is always decided by the venue's reviewers.

Academic writing is answering a research question with evidence and argument, in the form a journal accepts. For an empirical paper that usually means the IMRaD structure (introduction, methods, results, discussion), an abstract, and citations that show where every claim comes from. In our Academic Writing & Publication program, students learn it by writing their own research paper in English over eight mentoring sessions.

A research paper in the conventions of its discipline, usually between 3,000 and 8,000 words, with a literature review, a method, results or analysis, and a discussion. Students also leave with an abstract and a short presentation.

No. Mentors comment, question and point to resources. The thinking and the writing are the student's. This is both an integrity principle and the only way the skills actually transfer.

Sometimes, and only when the work is ready and the venue is appropriate. We help students understand what venues for secondary-school research expect, and we are candid about which ones are reputable. We never promise acceptance.

No. The Standard track starts from Python basics with prepared notebooks, and the studio provides the GPUs and tooling, so the first experiment runs in the first week. Students who already code move faster into experiments.

A student can run a real experiment on a real, public dataset on day one, see the result in minutes, and try again. That short loop exercises hypothesis, test and interpretation many times in one project, and the method transfers to medicine, economics, ecology and engineering.

Publication depends on the work and the venue, and we never promise acceptance. Selective universities read independent research seriously because it shows initiative, depth and the ability to finish. We publish outcome statistics only when they come from a verifiable source.

iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) is the largest international synthetic biology competition, run by the non-profit iGEM Foundation. Teams choose a real problem, design and build a biological system that responds to it, document the project on a public wiki and present it at the annual Grand Jamboree. It has a high school section.

Yes. iGEM has a high school section, and high school teams present at the same Grand Jamboree as university teams; according to iGEM's official team registry, seven to nine Taiwanese high school teams took part each year from 2023 to 2026. Teams register with the iGEM Foundation and need adult supervision and a safe lab setting. Eligibility, fees and deadlines change every year, so the current rules on igem.org are the ones that count. CompetiLab prepares and accompanies students; it does not register teams.

No. iGEM is a program of the iGEM Foundation. CompetiLab is an independent educational studio that teaches synthetic biology and prepares students for team research. Registration, eligibility and judging belong entirely to the Foundation.

Where it is part of a project, hands-on work takes place only in properly supervised institutional facilities under their safety rules. CompetiLab does not operate a laboratory. Much of an iGEM project, including modeling, Human Practices and documentation, happens away from the bench.

Within the program, students work in small groups mixed by skill: biology, computing, design, communication. Forming an official iGEM team is a separate step governed by the Foundation's rules, which we help students understand.

BDC is the Biodesign Challenge, an international education program and competition run by the non-profit Biodesign Challenge Inc. High school and college classrooms register, spend a semester combining biotechnology with design alongside scientists, artists and designers, and each classroom sends one team to present at the BDC Summit in New York.

BDC is entered by classrooms, not individuals: a school registers a class with Biodesign Challenge Inc., and its registration page opens the program to high school and college classrooms. The 2026 participants came from more than twenty countries. Travel to the Summit in New York is the school's responsibility. CompetiLab prepares students and helps schools understand what entering a class involves.

Synthetic biology engineers biological systems to perform functions. Biodesign is broader: it brings design method, art and critical thinking to biology, and asks what we should make and how it would live in the world. The two overlap, and students often move between them.

No. Biodesign Challenge is organized by Biodesign Challenge Inc. We teach the biodesign process and prepare students; we do not enter teams or represent the organization.

Safe, widely used biomaterials such as mycelium composites, bacterial cellulose, algae-based bioplastics and natural dyes, following basic biosafety practice. No pathogenic organisms are used.

A mix of small-group sessions, one-to-one mentoring and independent work between sessions. Sessions can be in person in Taipei or online, in English or Mandarin, depending on the student and mentor.

It depends on the program and the student's goal. A research paper or a design proposal typically needs several months of consistent work. Specific durations and schedules are confirmed during the inquiry conversation.

Most students are in senior high school. Motivated junior high students join where a mentor judges the pace appropriate. We are honest when we think a student would be better served by waiting a year.

It can serve as material for the portfolio's diverse performance section (多元表現), for example as a competition result or a self-directed learning outcome, together with the student's own reflection on the process. Upload windows and limits are set by schools and university admissions and change, so check the latest notices. We do not promise any admissions outcome.

Use the inquiry form on the contact page, or email us directly. We reply with a short conversation to understand the student's interests before suggesting a program.

Fees depend on the program, its duration and difficulty, and the mentoring format. We quote in writing after the initial conversation; we do not publish a price list.

We are open to conversations with schools and educators about workshops and mentoring arrangements. Write to us through the contact page with a description of what you have in mind.