BioHack3D MENA

CSAW’25

BioHack 3D
MENA

🔐 Welcome to BioHack 3D (MENA)

An innovative hackathon at the frontier of AI, 3D printing, and biochip security—organized by Center for Cybersecurity (CCS) NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) under Cyber Security Awareness Week (CSAW) 2025, in collaboration with:

MENA: NYUAD–CCS • Center for Translational Medical Devices (CENTMED) • Bioengineering Program – NYUAD • iGEM NYUAD • Vijay’s Lab

India: IIT Kanpur • IIT Kharagpur • IIT Guwahati • IIT Roorkee

US & Canada: CCS-NYU

🌍 About the Challenge

Participate in BioHack 3D and take on the challenge of designing AI-assisted authentication schemes for 3D-printed QR codes and melt-electrowritten fingerprints. Thanks to the stochastic nature of their fabrication, every print is physically unclonable, making them ideal for securing biochips and biomedical devices.

Your task:

Work with datasets of fingerprints and QR codes provided by organizers
Develop matching algorithms using minutiae point extraction, deep feature embeddings, and computer vision
Propose robust authentication frameworks capable of resisting:
counterfeiting, overbuilding, intellectual property theft and piracy, reverse engineering, and tampering

Have your solutions evaluated by a panel of experts in AI, 3D printing, and biochip cyber-physical systems’ security

💡 Why BioHack 3D Matters

Biochips (lab-on-a-chip devices) are vital for diagnostics, drug discovery, and point-of-care testing. But their supply chain is vulnerable to multiple threats. Developing unclonable authentication schemes ensures secure, tamper-proof, and trustworthy deployment of these critical technologies.

By competing in BioHACK3D at CSAW'25, you’ll get a chance to learn about novel 3D-printed QR codes and melt-electrowritten fingerprints for biochip and biomedical device authentication.

Work at the exciting intersection of AI, 3D printing, and cybersecurity using the provided dataset to build your own DL-based authentication schemes as well as traditional minutiae point–based matching algorithms.

🏆 Prizes

Winner (MENA): $500 Amazon Gift Card
2nd & 3rd Place: Certificates of Achievement
All Participants: Finalists from the United Arab Emirates will get a chance to attend CSAW'25 in person at New York University Abu Dhabi, meet and interact with leading experts, and explore other CSAW events, with certificates and plaques awarded to the top three spots.

📋 Participation Details

Eligibility: Undergraduates & Postgraduates
Team Size: 2–4 members (cross-institution teams allowed)
Selection: Rolling basis via this form (qualifying round)
Deadline: October 12

Format:

Virtual Round: Submit responses on authentication schemes using datasets of QR codes and melt-electrowritten fingerprints
Final Round (MENA): In person at NYU Abu Dhabi on November 7th
Submit a short technical report (template will be provided)
Present your solution before an expert panel at NYUAD during CSAW’25
Results announced November 8th during the prize distribution event, with certificates & plaques awarded

⚠️ Disclaimer: Submissions must reflect your team’s original creativity, insight, and technical effort.

Note: Each team will compete from their own region — MENA (only United Arab Emirates teams) and United States / Canada teams will compete within their respective regions.

Please note: Finalist teams are responsible for arranging and covering their own transportation to the venue. Travel support will not be provided.

🔥 Spots are limited! Compete, innovate, and showcase your skills at CSAW’25 in NYU Abu Dhabi—while building AI-powered, unclonable authentication frameworks that defend against the most critical threats to biochips and biomedical devices.

🔎 Why this matters

💰 $74 Billion by 2030
The global microfluidics market is surging—biochips are at its core. But complex, outsourced supply chains bring untrusted third parties and serious security risks.
⚠️ 2–3% of global trade is counterfeit
The WHO reports 1 in 10 medical products in low- and middle-income countries are substandard or falsified. Counterfeit biochips mean wasted samples, unreliable results, and even patient harm.
🔓 Exposed to IP Attacks
Biochips face reverse engineering, counterfeiting, overbuilding, IP piracy, and tampering—leading to financial loss, degraded performance, and loss of trust in biomedical innovation.
🛡️ Regulators Are Responding
The new U.S. Medical Device Security Law mandates premarket authentication & cybersecurity. Supply chain protection is no longer optional—it’s the law.
❌ Old Defenses Fail
Barcodes & inkjet tags → easily cloned
Lithographic PUFs → too costly, not scalable
SEM & spectroscopy → destructive & impractical
None deliver real-time, low-cost, unclonable authentication.
✅ The Future is Unclonable
Melt-electrospun fingerprints & 3D-printed QR codes are stochastic, unique, and impossible to replicate.
With AI-driven minutiae extraction and deep learning frameworks, they enable robust, tamper-proof authentication for biochips and biomedical devices.

🔥 Join BioHack 3D

Take part in this hackathon to explore unclonable identifiers, AI-powered authentication, and real-world counter-counterfeiting strategies. Gain CSAW’25 experience at NYU Abu Dhabi, sharpen your technical edge, and be part of the movement to secure the future of biochips and biomedical devices.

👉 Register now—BioHack 3D awaits!

🗓️ Competition Timeline

October 12, 2025

November 7, 2025

Virtual Qualification Round Deadline

Final Round

Virtual Qualification Round

Preliminary teams will be required to provide basic information and respond to five open-ended questions to demonstrate their:

Experience with 3D printing
Expertise in AI / ML / DL methods
Initial ideas/schemes for attack and defense/authentication strategies in 3D printed fingerprint or QR-code based biochip authentication

Submissions will be reviewed, and the top five teams will advance to the in-person finals.

Final Round (In-Person at NYU Abu Dhabi)

Qualified teams will:

Work with datasets of 3D-printed QR codes and melt-electrowritten fingerprints
Submit a short technical report describing their framework
Submit and Provide a 4–5 minute demo video explaining their approach
Present their schemes live before a panel of global experts during CSAW’25

🏆 Winners will be announced on 8th November 2025 at NYUAD, with certificates, plaques, and prizes awarded on site during the award ceremony.

📩 Further details, templates, and instructions will be shared with selected teams via email.

Preliminary participating teams are required to answer five open-ended questions, providing insights into their experience with 3D printing, AI/ML/DL expertise, and proposing potential attack and defense strategies. Further details about the specific attack and defense scenarios for the BioHack3D competition will be revealed to teams that successfully pass the qualifying round.

Additional Information

📢 Join us for BioHack 3D – CSAW’25

📅 8 November 2024 | 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM | NYU Abu Dhabi

For the finalist teams, this is a unique opportunity to attend in person at NYU Abu Dhabi as part of CSAW’25.

This full-day experience includes:

🖥️ Presenting your authentication frameworks for biochips and biomedical devices before a panel of experts.
🤝 Networking with NYUAD faculty, cybersecurity specialists, and fellow innovators—building valuable connections for future collaborations and career growth.
🍴 Enjoying breakfast, lunch, and dinner on campus during the event.

🌐 Exploring CSAW’25 activities at NYUAD, connecting with a vibrant global tech and research community.

⚠️ Note: Finalist teams are responsible for their own transportation to and from the NYU Abu Dhabi campus.

Don’t miss this chance to compete, collaborate, and gain recognition at CSAW'25 at New York University Abu Dhabi.

📩 For queries, contact: Dr. Navajit Singh Baban (nsb359 [at] nyu.edu)

Judging criteria and Rubrics

🏅 Judging Criteria

The judging for BioHack 3D is designed to reflect the core challenges of biochip and biomedical device security. Finalist teams will be evaluated on:

🔐 Strength of Authentication Frameworks – How well the proposed schemes secure 3D-printed QR codes and melt-electrowritten fingerprints against counterfeiting, overbuilding, piracy, reverse engineering, and tampering.
🎭 Stealth & Realism of Attack Strategies – Ingenuity in simulating potential threats and demonstrating how adversaries might attempt to compromise authentication.
🤖 AI Model Effectiveness – Performance of algorithms for minutiae extraction, matching, and verification, judged using key AI metrics such as accuracy, precision, recall, and robustness under noise/adversarial conditions.
💡 Novelty & Creativity – Originality of approaches in applying AI/ML/DL techniques to authentication and supply chain defense.
📑 Technical Report & 4–5 Minute Video – Clarity, coherence, and justification of the proposed methods, supported by evidence from datasets.
🌍 Potential Real-World Impact – The practicality and scalability of solutions for securing future biochips and biomedical devices in real supply chains.

Judges will value creativity, technical rigor, and security awareness—rewarding solutions that demonstrate both cutting-edge innovation and practical feasibility.

Organizers