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 Biosafety and Biosecurity 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
Program Staff
News & Analysis
Investing in Global Health Security: How to Build a Fund for Pandemic Preparedness in 2022
On April 21, 2022, immediately after G20 finance ministers and central bank governors reached consensus to establish a new Fund for preparedness at the World Bank, a group of leading experts and stakeholders from met to review progress and offer advice on next steps. This paper aims to inform next steps to structure, approve, and launch a new Fund, including the forthcoming consultative process led by the World Bank.
Testimony of Jaime M. Yassif at U.S. House Hearing on “Biosecurity for the Future: Strengthening Deterrence and Detection”
Testimony of Jaime M. Yassif, Ph.D. before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation. Hearing on “Biosecurity for the Future: Strengthening Deterrence and Detection.” Wednesday, December 8, 2021.
2021 GHS Index: Advancing Collective Action and Accountability Amid Global Crisis
Despite significant steps taken by countries to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, all countries remain dangerously unprepared to meet future epidemic and pandemic threats.
Strengthening Global Systems to Prevent and Respond to High-Consequence Biological Threats
A new NTI | bio report released today on the sidelines of the Biological Weapons Convention Meeting of States Parties, “Strengthening Global Systems to Prevent and Respond to High-Consequence Biological Threats,” outlines actionable recommendations for the international community to bolster prevention and response capabilities for high-consequence biological events.
Tutorial on the Non-Proliferation Regime
The nuclear nonproliferation regime is a broad international framework of agreements and organizations aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and contributing to arms control and disarmament progress.