The AIxBio Hackathon brings together researchers, engineers, biosecurity professionals, and AI safety enthusiasts to work on one of the most urgent intersections in safety: how AI is changing biological risk, and what we can build to stay ahead.

Over three days, participants will develop tools, prototypes, and research addressing real gaps in biosecurity infrastructure, from DNA synthesis screening and pandemic early warning systems to practitioner tools that don't exist yet.

Organized by

Apart Research | BlueDot Impact | Cambridge Biosecurity Hub

Track sponsors: CBAI (DNA Screening & Synthesis Controls) | Equistamp (Pandemic Early warning) | Fourth Eon Bio (AI Biosecurity Tools) | Sentinel Bio (Benchtop Synthesizer Security)

Top teams get

DNA Screening & Synthesis Controls Track Prizes - Sponsored by CBAI

Pandemic Early Warning Track Prizes - Sponsored by Equistamp

AI Biosecurity Tools - Sponsored by Fourth Eon Bio

Benchtop Synthesizer Security Track Prizes - Sponsored by Sentinel Bio

*Not all winning projects may receive a fellowship invitation. An invitation might also depend on other external factors like the Apart Core team's capacity to onboard new research teams.

What is AIxBio?

AI is transforming biology faster than biosecurity can keep up. Open-weight biological foundation models like Evo2 (a DNA language model, 40B parameters, trained on 128,000+ genomes) and protein design tools like RFdiffusion are making it possible to design novel biological sequences with less expertise than ever before. At the same time, benchtop DNA synthesizers are approaching the capability to print virus-length sequences (expected within 2-5 years), and current screening infrastructure covers only a fraction of global synthesis capacity.

On the defensive side, pathogen-agnostic metagenomic surveillance is finally becoming practical. Wastewater monitoring can detect outbreaks weeks before hospitals see cases. AI anomaly detection could identify engineered pathogens in sequencing data. But most of these tools are siloed, under-resourced, or still in the research phase. The field needs builders.

Hackathon Tracks

1. DNA Screening & Synthesis Controls (sponsored by CBAI)

Build better tools for screening DNA synthesis orders from commercial providers, detecting dangerous sequences, and creating guardrails for AI-powered biological design tools. Current screening misses AI-designed protein variants and struggles with short sequences. For projects focused on benchtop synthesizer security, see Track 4.

2. Pandemic Early Warning (sponsored by Equistamp)

Develop AI-powered surveillance, anomaly detection, and data integration tools for catching outbreaks earlier. Wastewater monitoring, metagenomic sequencing, and open-source disease intelligence are all ripe for better tooling.

3. AI Biosecurity Tools (sponsored by Fourth Eon Bio)

Build the tools that biosecurity practitioners actually need: unified dashboards, rapid risk assessment systems, policy trackers, secure communication tools, and accessible resources for under-resourced institutions.

4. Benchtop Synthesizer Security (sponsored by Sentinel Bio)

Benchtop DNA synthesizers are approaching the capability to print virus-length sequences, expected within 2-5 years. Current devices have no mandatory screening, tamper-proof logging, or customer vetting beyond export controls. Researchers have already shown that short DNA fragments can be ordered from dozens of providers and assembled into dangerous sequences, bypassing all screening. This track focuses on building security infrastructure before these devices reach dangerous capability thresholds: on-device screening, fragment-assembly detection, cross-provider split-order monitoring, and customer verification.

Who should participate?

• AI safety researchers and engineers

• Biosecurity and public health professionals

• Machine learning researchers interested in biological applications

• Security researchers and red teamers

• Policy researchers working on biogovernance

• Software engineers interested in building safety infrastructure

• Students and early-career researchers exploring biosecurity

No prior biosecurity experience is required. The Resources tab has a curated reading list organized by track. Teams typically form at the start of the event.

What you will do

Over three days, you will:

1. Form teams and choose a challenge track

2. Research and scope a specific problem using the provided resources

3. Build a project: a tool, prototype, evaluation, or research contribution

4. Submit a research report (PDF) documenting your approach, results, and implications

5. Have your work reviewed by judges from leading biosecurity and AI safety organizations

What happens next

After the hackathon, all submitted projects will be reviewed by expert judges. Top projects receive prizes and are featured on the Apart Research website. Outstanding work may be invited for further development, publication, or presentation at upcoming events.

Why join?

Apart Research has organized 55+ research sprints with 7,000+ participants across 200+ global locations. Co-organized with BlueDot Impact and Cambridge Biosecurity Hub, with track sponsorship from CBAI, Sentinel Bio, Fourth Eon Bio, and Equistamp. Our hackathons produce real research output: published papers, new research collaborations, and contributions to open-source safety tools used across the field.