In recent years, countries worldwide have attributed high importance to the development of computational biology, leveraging its methods and technologies to address challenges in the biopharmaceutical industry. To further advance this field, "Shanghai International Computational Biology Challenge" will be held consecutively to engage universities, research institutions, enterprises, and individuals globally. The competition seeks to identify outstanding talents and projects, build a talent and project pool, and strive to become an influential international event in AI-driven life sciences.

Officially launched on June 12, 2025, the Shanghai International Computational Biology Challenge 2025 now calls for participation from all sectors of society worldwide. Relevant details are outlined below:

I. Competition Process

The competition consists of three phases: Registration, Preliminary Stage, and Finals Stage. Small molecule (lactate receptor antagonist) and large molecule (lactate receptor-specific antibody) tracks will be evaluated separately, following the same competition timelines:

1. Registration（From now - July 12 ,2025, 23:59:59 UTC/GMT+8）

(1) Eligibility: Open globally to individuals and teams from higher education institutions, research institutions, enterprises, and other organizations, regardless of age or nationality. Participants may register and participate via the official website（https://www.ibiws.com/2025/SICBC?lan=en ）.

(2) Registration Requirements: All team members must complete registration and team formation on the official website. Participation is confirmed upon successful real-name verification.

(3) Team Formation Requirements:

-Each participant may only create or join one team. Changing teams is not permitted.

-Each Team must consist of 1 to 5 members.

-The team leader must create the team using the〈My Team〉section on the competition official website (the team name is chosen by the leader).. Other team members must search for and join the team using its name.

- All participants must complete team formation before the registration deadline.

(A) Small molecule (lactate receptor antagonist) Competition Schedule:

(1) Registration（From now - July 12 ,2025, 23:59:59 UTC/GMT+8）

Participants may register as individuals or in teams (all entrants must form a registered team). All required submissions must be completed within the specified timeframe. The organizing committee will announce the selected teams and the list of small molecule compound by July 25, 2025.

Required submissions from participating teams include:

Time：From now - July 12 ,2025, 23:59:59 UTC/GMT+8

What to Submit：Proposal abstract

Requirements：Participating teams must submit a proposed summary for their planned research using the official template. The Organizing Committee will select maximum of 100 teams based on research competency (prior work in relevant fields), problem comprehension (understanding of HCAR1 challenges), implementation feasibility (methodological soundness) and innovation potential (novelty of approach).

What to Submit：Candidate molecules

Requirements：Participating teams will compete using self-developed AI computational models, submitting a list of 100 molecules ranked by predicted score from highest to lowest. Based on this submitted prioritization, the Organizing Committee will select a minimum of 10 molecules per team for wet-lab validation.

What to Submit：The source code of the algorithm capable of reproducing molecule screening results

Requirements：The Organizing Committee strongly encourages all participating teams to submit reproducible source code for molecular screening, promote open-source licensing and advocates for original algorithm development. Teams selected to advance in the competition must submit their source code..

(2) Preliminary Stage (July 25 –early October, 2025)

The organizers will conduct wet-lab validation and evaluation of submitted molecules. The Organizing Committee will announce the teams advancing to the Finals in mid-October 2025.

The Preliminary Round consists of the following three phases:

Time：July 25 –early October , 2025

Phase：Screening

Schedule：Based on dual-concentration antagonistic activity evaluation using GloSensor cAMP assay, the top 100 active molecules(ranked by antagonistic activity) will advance to the next phase.

Phase：Evaluation

Schedule：Following multi-concentration antagonistic activity evaluation and preliminary comparison using GloSensor cAMP assay, the top 10 ranked teams will advance.

Phase：Review

Schedule：

·Stage 1: After multi-concentration antagonistic activity evaluation using HTRF cAMP assay, the top 5 ranked teams advance to Stage 2(and simultaneously qualify for the Finals). Teams entering the Review phase but not advancing to Stage 2 receive an Excellence Award (an Honorable Mention).

·Stage 2: Following target selectivity validation, the Organizing Committee will announce the wet-lab validation results for the 5 teams advancing to the Finals.

(3) Finals (Mid-October 2025)

The top five qualifying teams advancing to the Finals will be invited to deliver on-site oral presentations. Their presentations will be evaluated by the final judging panel, with each team’s scores announced live.

Based on the weighted total scores －comprising 70% from wet-lab validation results and 30% from oral presentation performance－the organizer will determine the winners of the first, second, and third Awards.

(B) Large Molecule Track (Lactate Receptor-Specific Antibodies) Schedule:

(1) Registration（From now - July 12 ,2025, 23:59:59 UTC/GMT+8）

Participants may register as individuals or in teams (all entrants must form a registered team). All required submissions must be completed within the specified timeframe. The organizing committee will announce the selected teams and the list of antibody molecule by July 25, 2025.

Required submissions from participating teams include:

Time：From now - July 12 ,2025, 23:59:59 UTC/GMT+8

What to Submit：Proposal abstract

Requirements：Participating teams must submit a proposed summary for their planned research using the official template. The Organizing Committee will select maximum of 50 teams based on research competency (prior work in relevant fields), problem comprehension, implementation feasibility (methodological soundness) and innovation potential (novelty of approach).

What to Submit：Candidate molecules

Requirements：Participating teams will compete using self-developed AI computational models, submitting a list of 50 molecules ranked by predicted score from highest to lowest. Based on this submitted prioritization, the Organizing Committee will select a minimum of 5 molecules per team for wet-lab validation.

What to Submit：The source code of the algorithm capable of reproducing molecule screening results

Requirements：The Organizing Committee strongly encourages all participating teams to submit reproducible source code for molecular screening, promote open-source licensing and advocates for original algorithm development. Teams selected to advance in the competition must submit their source code..

(2) Preliminary Stage (July 25th –early October, 2025)

The organizers will conduct wet-lab validation and evaluation of submitted molecules.The Organizing Committee will announce the teams advancing to the Finals in mid-October 2025.

The Preliminary Round consists of the following three phases:

Time：July 25 –early October , 2025

Phase：Screening

Agenda：Based on dual-concentration antagonistic activity evaluation using GloSensor cAMP assay, the top 50 active molecules(ranked by antagonistic activity) will advance to the next phase.

Phase：Evaluation

Agenda：Following multi-concentration antagonistic activity evaluation and preliminary comparison using GloSensor cAMP assay, the top 10 ranked teams will advance.

Phase：Review

Agenda：

·Stage 1: After multi-concentration antagonistic activity evaluation using HTRF cAMP assay, the top 5 ranked teams advance to Stage 2(and simultaneously qualify for the Finals). Teams entering the Review phase but not advancing to Stage 2 receive an Excellence Award (an Honorable Mention).

·Stage 2: Following target selectivity validation, the Organizing Committee will announce the wet-lab validation results for the 5 teams advancing to the Finals.

(3) Finals (Mid-October 2025)

The top five qualifying teams advancing to the Finals will be invited to deliver on-site oral presentations. Their presentations will be evaluated by the final judging panel, with each team’s scores announced live.

Based on the weighted total scores －comprising 70% from wet-lab validation results and 30% from oral presentation performance－the organizer will determine the winners of the first, second, and third Awards.

II. Awards and Benefits

The award ceremony is scheduled to be held during the International Biopharma Industry Week Shanghai 2025 (please refer to the official website of the competition for updates). The organizers will present awards to the winning teams and confer the following prizes and corresponding benefits. The award categories and associated benefits are as follows:

(A) Award Categories:

(1) Small Molecule Track (Lactate Receptor Antagonists):

1.First Prize (1 team):

CNY100,000 and an official award certificate.

2.Second Prize (2 teams):

CNY30,000 and an official award certificate per team.

3.Third Prize (2 teams):

CNY20,000 and an official award certificate per team.

4.Excellence Award (5 teams):

CNY10,000 and an official award certificate per team.

(2) Large Molecule Track (Lactate Receptor-Specific Antibodies):

1. First Prize (1 team):

CNY100,000 and an official award certificate.

2. Second Prize (2 teams):

CNY30,000 and an official award certificate per team.

3. Third Prize (2 teams):

CNY20,000 and an official award certificate per team.

4. Excellence Award (5 teams):

CNY10,000 and an official award certificate per team.

(II) Award Benefits for Recipients:

1. Preferential Recommendation. Award-winning projects will be given priority consideration for the “Computational Biology Special Program” under the “Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Action Plan”, sponsored by the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality.

2. Scenario-Based Collaboration. Promote market validation and real-world application of winning solutions through conferences and media exposure. Eligible winning enterprises will be supported to join Shanghai’s "Little Giant" SME Gradient Cultivation Program. Priority participation in drafting algorithmic standards and releasing research/consultancy reports for applied scenarios.

3. Commercialization Support. Priority access to domestic leading securities firms and venture capital funds, to facilitate the investment and accelerate commercialization of outstanding projects.

4. Academic Publication. The competition encourages and supports the publication of the competition results and related analyses in peer-reviewed academic journals.

Interested participants may visit the official competition website:

https://www.ibiws.com/2025/SICBC?lan=en