Biosecurity Innovation and Risk Reduction Initiative
Advances in biotechnology outpace national governments’ ability to provide needed oversight to prevent accidents or deliberate misuse of dangerous biological agents.
About
Biological threats – whether natural, accidental or deliberate — can kill millions, cost billions, and create political and economic instability in individual countries and around the world. The risks and consequences of a global catastrophic biological event can be magnified by weak global health security, increasing urbanization and travel, growing terrorist interest in weapons of mass destruction, and rapid advances in technology that enable newly developed or manipulated pathogens with pandemic potential.
To reduce these risks and strengthen biosecurity, NTI | bio works with governments, industry, academia, international organizations and NGOs to foster multilateral dialogue, identify weaknesses, and promote systemic change to improve biotechnology governance and national health security capacities.
NTI offers solutions through a range of projects. Among them:
- Global Health Security Index: Launched in 2019, the GHS Index is the first comprehensive assessment of the health security capacities of 195 countries. The second edition, now in development, will be released in December.
- Global Biological Catastrophic Risks: NTI | bio’s multi-faceted work in this area includes building a stronger case for decision-makers to prioritize action to counter catastrophic biological risks; establishing new forums focused on preventing the development and use of biological weapons by powerful actors; strengthening the Biological Weapons Convention; and developing innovative solutions for early detection and rapid response.
- Global Biosecurity Dialogue: To identify way to advance international biosecurity — and measure those advances — NTI | bio brings together senior officials from ministries of foreign affairs, health, defense, agriculture and other relevant sectors to build cross-border collaboration; increase the number of countries providing national, regional, or global financial and technical support to strengthen biosecurity; and promote new actions and investments among senior officials to mitigate emerging biological risks.
Projects
Global Biosecurity Dialogue
Reducing biological risk and enhancing global security
Global Catastrophic Biological Risks
Preventing global catastrophic biological risks (GCBRS)
Global Health Security Index
The GHS Index highlights individual country needs, boost compliance with international standards, and create better understanding of global capabilities to prevent, detect, and respond to biological threats.
International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS)
Safeguarding modern bioscience and biotechnology so it can advance and flourish safely and responsibly
Joint Assessment Mechanism to Determine Pandemic Origins
Rapidly assessing origins of high-consequence global biological events
Next Generation for Biosecurity
Cultivating the Next Generation of Global Biosecurity Leaders
Preventing the Misuse of DNA Synthesis Technology
Establishing an international Common Mechanism for DNA Synthesis Screening
Visibility Initiative for Responsible Science (VIRS)
Establishing stronger norms and practices to prevent accidents, misuse, and other adverse outcomes of life science research
Program Staff
News & Analysis
New Digital Report Warns that World is Not Prepared for the Next Pandemic and Urges Bold Action
A new digital report and companion summary detail the findings and recommendations developed from a tabletop exercise held by NTI | bio and the Munich Security Conference.
New Report Recommends Biosecurity Safeguards for Benchtop DNA Synthesis Devices
A new NTI | bio report describes the status of benchtop DNA synthesis devices, explains the risks for biosecurity, and recommends action and oversight by governments, industry, and the scientific community.
Benchtop DNA Synthesis Devices: Capabilities, Biosecurity Implications, and Governance
A new NTI | bio report describes the status of benchtop DNA synthesis devices, explains the risks for biosecurity, and recommends action and oversight by governments, industry, and the scientific community.
NTI | bio Experts Outline Strategies for Preventing State Bioweapons Development and Use
The authors write about effective strategies for preventing biological events that could rise to the level of a global catastrophe by disincentivizing states from bioweapons development and use.
NTI | bio Analysis Outlines Benefits of a Joint Assessment Mechanism for Latin America and Caribbean Region
A new analysis published by the Consejo Argentino para las Relaciones Internacionales (CARI) highlights why the Latin America and Caribbean region would benefit from the establishment of a Joint Assessment Mechanism to discern source of high-consequence biological events of unknown origin.