Dutch DIY Bio community

DIY Bio is about democratization and demystification of biotechnology, by enabling as many people as possible to do independent biotechnological experiments. Driven by a dramatic decrease in costs to read and write DNA, and therefore program life forms, DIYBio enthusiasts explore how this may be used outside of the context of academic and commercial organisations.

The Dutch DIY Bio community started in 2012 as a virtual group on Meetup. The group was founded by Pieter van Boheemen with the aim to bring people with an interest in accessible biotechnology and the implications thereof together and provide a platform for the exchange of thoughts, skills and experience. 

Regularly activities are organized on this platform that encompass the field of art, design, hacking, citizen science, ethics and philosophy both at the Waag and other venues and organizations, such as the Groningen DIYBio group.

DIY Bio is an activity of Waag's Open Wetlab. The Wetlab focuses on life sciences and the design and ethics of life. We want to involve the industry, artists and designers, but also the political forces and the public, in the hands-on shaping of biotechnology, as well as in what biotechnology creates.