Global Biosecurity Engagement Activities

ISN/CTR administers the Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP) program as part of the Global Threat Reduction (GTR) portfolio. BEP's mission involves institutionalizing biorisk management best practices, securing life science institutions and dangerous pathogens, decreasing the risk that scientists with dual-use expertise will misuse pathogens, and promoting adoption of and compliance with comprehensive international frameworks that advance U.S. biological nonproliferation objectives, including United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540, the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), the World Health Organization's International Health Regulations, and the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) / International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards. BEP generally funds activities in three priority pillars and has a focus on long-term sustainability. The first pillar increases biosecurity and biosafety through technical consultations, risk assessments, and training courses that develop expertise to create a sustainable culture of laboratory biorisk management. As a part of BEP's biosecurity efforts, the program also sponsors efforts to train foreign law enforcement and security forces on approaches for detecting, investigating, and disrupting bioterrorism plots. The second pillar of engagement focuses on infectious disease detection and control as well as strengthening the capacity for public and veterinary health systems to detect, report, and control disease outbreaks. The third pillar of engagement focuses on scientific engagement to enhance global health security and foster safe, secure, and sustainable bioscience capacity through joint scientific collaborations designed to help prevent, detect, and respond to biological threats.