T‑GEx Associate Dr. Seine A. Shintani (Department of Biomedical Sciences, Chubu University) has partnered with the National Institute for Basic Biology (NIBB) to organize and run the “NIBB‑CU Hackathon 2025,” a newly opened international competition.
The hackathon challenges participants to apply AI techniques to a large community‑science image collection and reconstruct never‑before‑seen 3‑D biological models. This year’s target species is the Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis). Using the curated image dataset, contestants will generate 3‑D models and be judged on accuracy and originality. Two tracks are offered—Advanced (multi‑view fusion) and Beginner (single‑image reconstruction)—with top prizes of JPY 300,000 and JPY 100,000, respectively. The winning works will be made publicly available.
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Registration period: 14 July 2025 – 21 December 2025
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Format: Fully online (data access & Q &A via official Discord)
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Review & Award ceremony: January–February 2026 at the Okazaki Conference Center
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Official website: https://ideathonjp.nibb.ac.jp/
“Turn 2‑D snapshots captured by observers worldwide into ‘three‑dimensional scientific knowledge’ with your code.
Let’s pioneer the next chapter of biology together!”
— Dr. Seine A. Shintani, Idea Originator & Lead Organizer
