Rules | EUBL

1. General information

The European Bioinformatics League (EUBL) is a competition that tests participants’ knowledge and skills in bioinformatics and computational biology. It is aimed at higher-education students and at the wider bioinformatics community. It grows out of the Liga Portuguesa de Bioinformática, itself inspired by the Liga Brasileira de Bioinformática.

The official website of the EUBL is https://eubl.org/. Any change to these rules or to the schedule is announced there.

2. Objectives

To encourage the learning of bioinformatics through competition.
To bring together the European bioinformatics and computational biology community, and to encourage collaboration between participants.
To encourage the organisation of further bioinformatics competitions, nationally and internationally.

3. Eligibility

Teams that meet all of the following requirements are admitted:

Teams have exactly two members, who may have a background in any field.
Both members are over 18 years old at the time of registration.
Both members are enrolled in a higher-education institution, at any level.
At most one member per team holds a doctoral degree, and that degree was completed no more than two years before registration.

Teams are not admitted if any member, at the time of registration:

holds a doctoral degree completed more than two years before registration; or
has more than four years of professional experience in bioinformatics or a related field, in a public or private institution.

Whether eligibility is restricted to students at European institutions is to be confirmed.

4. Registration

Teams register online through the form linked from the official website, within the registration period given in the schedule.

5. Structure and assessment

The dates of each round and the selection criteria may change; any change is announced on the official website.

5.1 First round: questions

The round is held online, at a fixed date and time, and is eliminatory.
It consists of multiple-choice questions on biology, computer science and bioinformatics. The number of questions and the duration are to be confirmed.
Each correct answer scores one point.
The qualification criterion (a threshold per area or a fixed number of teams) is to be confirmed. Ties are broken by the time of submission.
Scores are published within seven days of the end of the round.

5.2 Second round: capture the flag

The round is held online on the competition platform, over a fixed period, and is eliminatory.
It consists of computational biology challenges. Each challenge yields a flag, which teams submit on the platform.
The score of each challenge is stated in its instructions. The scoring scheme (fixed or decreasing with the number of solves) is to be confirmed.
Ties are broken by the time of the last valid submission.
Scores are published within seven days of the end of the round. The best-ranked teams qualify for the final; their number is to be confirmed.

5.3 Third round: hackathon

Finalists develop a project set by the organising committee.
Teams present their project in person at the Bioinformatics Open Days 2027. The format and duration of the presentations, and the assessment criteria, are to be confirmed.

6. Conduct

Each team’s work must be its own. Sharing answers or flags between teams, or attacking the competition infrastructure, leads to disqualification. The use of AI assistants and other tools in each round is governed by rules to be confirmed.

7. Prizes

Prizes are awarded at the Bioinformatics Open Days 2027. The final results, including the winners, are published on the official website.