Cross-team collaboration brings together members with diverse backgrounds and professional skills, forming a diverse way of thinking and solutions. This diversity not only enhances innovation but also effectively addresses complex problems because each team can contribute unique perspectives and experiences.

Collaboration can effectively allocate tasks and resources. With the joint efforts of multiple teams, workload can be distributed more evenly, improving overall work efficiency. The collaboration between different teams makes project progress smoother and helps achieve goals more quickly.Collaboration promotes the sharing of information and knowledge. The interaction between team members can inspire ideas and facilitate the spread of best practices. This not only helps individuals grow but also enhances the capabilities of the entire organization.

The establishment of collaboration relationships can strengthen trust and cohesion among teams. Through common goals and efforts, team members form closer ties during the process, and this emotional bond can facilitate more smooth collaboration in future projects.

1.1 Fujian Mengtian Small Town Agricultural Technology Industry Development Co. , Ltd.

While exploring the extraction of astaxanthin from longan leaves, our team is extremely honored to have established a profound collaboration with Fujian Mengtian Town Agricultural Technology Industry Development Co., Ltd. Established in 2017 with its headquarters in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, this company is a research and experimental development-oriented enterprise. Leveraging its abundant agricultural resources and expertise in longan tree cultivation, Fujian Mengtian Town has provided us with high-quality longan leaves as research materials. Both parties have jointly delved into optimizing the extraction process of astaxanthin from longan leaves, aiming to enhance extraction efficiency and purity while preserving its biological activity. Furthermore, the company's technical team has shared their experiences in agricultural sustainability, deepening our understanding of sustainable utilization strategies for longan leaf resources and ensuring that our research not only holds scientific value but also aligns with environmental protection principles.

For our team, the support from Mengtian Town Company has not only accelerated our research progress but also allowed us to gain a deeper insight into the integrated application of agricultural science and technology with bioengineering techniques. Through practice, we have mastered the entire process from raw material collection to product development, laying a solid foundation for our future scientific endeavors. Concurrently, Mengtian Town Company has seized this opportunity to expand its business scope, integrating traditional agricultural resources with high-tech research and development, thereby exploring a novel industrial development path.

1.2 Mio Tech

On the journey of IGEM, our team collaborated with Mio Tech. This collaboration transcended the boundaries of academia and industry, transforming scientific research into practical applications and inaugurating a new chapter in natural skincare. Mio Tech specializes in leveraging artificial intelligence to address sustainability, climate change, and social responsibility challenges faced by financial institutions, enterprises, and governments. In the realm of intelligent management of longan plantations, Mio Tech empowered us with its cutting-edge AI technology to achieve real-time monitoring and response to climatic changes, as well as precise control over the plantation environment. This not only ensured that longan trees flourished under optimal growing conditions, yielding high-quality longan leaves as superior raw materials for astaxanthin extraction but also significantly enhanced planting efficiency and resource utilization.

In terms of market promotion and operations, Mio Tech's software products established a robust data platform for us. By meticulously tracking a broad range of data points within the astaxanthin cosmetics industry, we gained a comprehensive understanding of market dynamics, consumer behavior, competitive landscapes, and policy environments. These data provided invaluable insights, enabling us to delve into market trends, accurately discern consumer needs, and effectively evaluate competitor strategies.

This collaboration has enriched our team with invaluable research experience and market insights. Through close cooperation with Mio Tech, we not only honed our skills in advanced biotechnology applications but also gained a profound understanding of the intricate process from scientific research to product commercialization. More importantly, we witnessed firsthand how scientific achievements translate into practical products, offering the beauty industry more natural, safe, and efficient antioxidant solutions that cater to consumers' growing demand for green skincare.

1.3 Shangqiu Beauty Association

In advancing our project on the extraction of astaxanthin and its application in cosmetics, we are fortunate to embark on a significant journey of collaboration with Shangqiu Beauty Industry Association. Through active communication and exchange, both parties have delved into the immense potential of astaxanthin in the cosmetics field. Leveraging its profound insight into the industry and extensive network of resources, Shangqiu Beauty Industry Association has provided us with invaluable market information and professional advice for our project. During this period, we jointly organized seminars and technical exchange activities, bringing together experts, scholars, and business representatives from various fields to engage in profound discussions on key issues such as astaxanthin extraction technology, stability, efficacy evaluation, and its application in cosmetics.

As part of our collaboration, we have also jointly conducted a series of market research activities to gain insights into consumer needs and expectations for astaxanthin-based cosmetics, providing a solid foundation for product development and promotion. Concurrently, Shangqiu Beauty Industry Association has actively coordinated resources to bridge the gap between our project and cosmetics enterprises, accelerating the industrialization process of astaxanthin-based cosmetics.

Our collaboration with Shangqiu Beauty Industry Association has profoundly illustrated the power of win-win cooperation. On the one hand, the Association's expertise and industrial experience have infused new vitality into our project. Their keen grasp of market trends and profound understanding of consumer demands have assisted us in better positioning our products and enhancing their market competitiveness. On the other hand, our scientific research achievements have also presented new development opportunities for member enterprises of Shangqiu Beauty Industry Association. As a natural ingredient with potent antioxidant properties, astaxanthin has brought fresh innovative points and growth drivers to the cosmetics industry.

2.1 Longan Science and Technology Academy

Professor Lai Zhongxiong, the Chief Expert of the Fuling Longan Science and Technology Yard, and Professor Lin Yuling, the Responsible Expert, both from Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, led their team members to move into the Longan Science and Technology Yard and conducted in-depth field research in the farmlands. The Science and Technology Yard team established research groups and conducted multiple thorough investigations into the resources of century-old ancient longan trees in Yuxi. Utilizing modern biological technologies, they conducted comparative analyses of the quality of premium longans, intensified the management of elite individual trees, and conducted high-grafting replacement of varieties. Through the investigation and analysis of data from the demonstration area, the expert team at the Longan Science and Technology Yard overcame numerous difficulties and achieved the latest scientific research results - ethephon-based longan shoot control technology. This technology effectively addresses the problem of alternate bearing in longan trees, enabling fruit farmers to achieve good harvests even during off-years, thereby laying a solid foundation for stable and high yields of Fuling longans.

1. To provide mature fruit tree cultivation, agricultural planting, and other related technologies, but also have professional and technical personnel to guide us, for farmers in agricultural science and technology cooperation to help.

2. Longan Science and Technology Academy has a certain amount of leaves in the extraction and separation technology. They shared their valuable experience with us, including the selection of the best extraction solvent, the optimization of extraction conditions, and the subsequent purification steps, all this has been very helpful to the further development of our wet laboratory. We are very grateful.

3. Through the network and resources of the Longan Science and Technology Academy, Longan products can help open up a broader market. Cooperation with them can promote the modernization and standardization of longan production and application chain, and improve the overall competitiveness of our industry.

4. Longan Science and Technology Academy helps us translate scientific research results into actual agricultural productivity and improve yield and quality.

At 7:30 pm on August 21, our team China-fuzhou 2024 and Team NMU China held an online seminar, where members of both teams participated in the meeting to learn from each other.

Through the online seminar, we shared with team NMU China and accessed information and resources from different schools.Students from different schools have different ideological and educational backgrounds, we hold online seminars to promote the exchange of ideas, and innovative ideas to find a more efficient way to extract astaxanthin longan leaves and to find other applications of Astaxanthin in cosmetics.

Our main goal:

(1) Provide a platform for team members to share the latest developments in astaxanthin extraction technology, including biosynthesis, chemical synthesis, extraction, and purification methods, and to think about improvements.

(2) Joint advocacy to raise consumer awareness of astaxanthin among the general public, including its health benefits, application, and selection criteria.