Countering Biological Weapons Threats

ISN/CTR’s Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP) advances the Trump Administration’s Executive Order (E.O.) on Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research, which pledges to “balance the prevention of catastrophic consequences with maintaining readiness against biological threats and driving global leadership in biotechnology, biological countermeasures, biosecurity, and health research”. In alignment with this E.O., BEP engages partner countries to prevent U.S. adversaries from developing or using biological weapons (BW) against Americans. BEP also protects U.S. biotechnologies, sensitive data, and intellectual property (IP), and bolsters U.S. leadership of global biotechnology markets through private sector engagement to outcompete China, and promotes partner countries’ adoption of U.S. laboratory security, safety, and cybersecurity standards. To successfully achieve this mission, BEP partners include biological and biotechnology laboratories, bio- and data repositories, universities, science and technology organizations or academies, foreign government organizations and entities, biosafety associations or similar professional associations, and private industry. The expertise and tools acquired through BEP engagements are critical to enable our partners to counter the predatory and exploitative efforts of U.S. adversaries that threaten U.S. national and economic security.