
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.
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:
Advances in biotechnology outpace national governments’ ability to provide needed oversight to prevent accidents or deliberate misuse of dangerous biological agents.
Reducing biological risk and enhancing global security
Preventing global catastrophic biological risks (GCBRS)
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.
Safeguarding modern bioscience and biotechnology so it can advance and flourish safely and responsibly
Rapidly assessing origins of high-consequence global biological events
Cultivating the Next Generation of Global Biosecurity Leaders
Establishing an international Common Mechanism for DNA Synthesis Screening
Establishing stronger norms and practices to prevent accidents, misuse, and other adverse outcomes of life science research
NTI | bio hosted an event on Capitol Hill to discuss how Congress and other key decisionmakers can take action to provide necessary oversight to safeguard biotechnologies, without stifling innovation in the field.
New study published in BMJ Global Health finds the pandemic was less deadly in countries that rank high on the Global Health Security Index.
NTI | bio, the Next Generation for Global Health Security (GHS) Network, the iGEM Foundation, 80,000 Hours, SynBio Africa, and the Global Health Security Network (GHSN) have launched the seventh Next Generation for Biosecurity Competition.
NTI | bio played a key role in shaping and leading biosecurity discussions at the event, including through events that highlighted the importance of protecting bioscience and biotechnology advances so society can reap their benefits, while guarding against accidental or deliberate misuse.
NTI | bio convened the annual Biosecurity Innovation and Risk Reduction Initiative (BIRRI) meeting from May 31 to June 2 at Downing College in Cambridge, United Kingdom.