The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) held a workshop in London earlier this month to develop projects to reduce biological risks that are a consequence of advanced technology.
The workshop was designed to provide recommendations to the NTI Biosecurity Innovation and Risk Reduction Initiative’s two working groups.
Attendees included publishers, funders, technical experts, and insurers with expertise in microbiology, synthetic biology, biotechnology, and public health.
“It’s unique to have this constellation of experts in one room … since they play a critical role in this ecosystem,” Margaret A. Hamburg, NTI board member and foreign secretary of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, said. “Biosecurity innovation and risk reduction is part of responsible stewardship; it is something for which the entire life science research enterprise is responsible.”
NTI | bio commissioned a paper ahead of the workshop proposing global norms for emerging biotechnologies, synthetic biology and microbiology. The paper also included a summary chart of potential biosecurity requirements.
Proposals from the workshop included incentivizing biosecurity by design; showing funders and publishers how researchers are identifying, managing, and eliminating biological research-related risks; launching a global hub for life science education and training; and issuing a seal of approval for facilities with excellence in biological risk reduction.