RFAs: Build Partner Capabilities to Counter Global Biological Threats

ISN/CTR’s Biosecurity Engagement Program (BEP) seeks to mitigate global biological threats by securing and/or protecting against the misuse of high consequence pathogens, synthetic biological materials, biotechnologies, genomic data, life sciences research, laboratory infrastructure, and related equipment for biological weapons (BW) purposes, and helping foreign partners develop biosecurity policy, guidance and technical capabilities at the national and regional levels to promote the adoption or compliance with international best practices and frameworks that advance U.S. biological nonproliferation objectives.

BEP will support projects that engage foreign government organizations, biological research and biotechnology laboratories, central and regional health and agriculture laboratories, bio- and data repositories, universities, science and technology organizations or academies, biosafety associations or similar professional associations, and private industry. Within these organizations, BEP projects will engage government leadership, laboratory managers, technicians and similar staff, data and IT managers, research scientists, epidemiologists, policy makers, first responders, forensic scientists, academic researchers and administration, professors, and students.

BEP will counter exploitation of cyber vulnerabilities in the life sciences that could result in data and research theft and compromise building automation systems, thereby negatively impacting the safe and secure operations of laboratories. BEP will also aim to secure research collaborations, including establishing policies and practices for sensitive genomic data and information sharing.

Goal

• Mitigate global biological threats by securing and/or protecting against the misuse of high consequence pathogens, synthetic biological materials, biotechnologies, genomic data, life sciences research, laboratory infrastructure, and related equipment for BW purposes.

Objectives

• BEP will support projects that build partner capacity and advance BEP’s mission by accomplishing at least one of the below objectives within the award’s period of performance. Recipients shall leverage relevant subject matter experts within the submitting organization or in partnership with other applicants to create, develop, and implement projects:
  • Enhance partners’ risk assessment capacity to identify and mitigate biosecurity gaps in laboratories and bio- and data repositories. BEP programs will build risk assessment capacity by training foreign partners in risk assessment methodologies, developing and deploying risk assessment tools, and implementing small grants to immediately mitigate biosecurity gaps found during risk assessments. Mitigation options will include establishing biosecurity standard operating procedures; procuring and installing security enhancements; and biosecurity or insider threat training. Partners trained in risk assessment will be responsible for training others on risk assessment and for advocating for better risk management across their institutions and/or across their governments.
  • Engage the synthetic biology, toxicology, and genomic research communities to build institutional mechanisms to ensure safe, secure, and responsible conduct of these life sciences. BEP programs will strengthen security of synthetic biology, toxicology, and genomic research and related data by raising awareness of proliferation threats associated with this research, training partners on due diligence practices to review prospective research partnerships (e.g., know-your-collaborator, KYC), and establishing comprehensive systems for research oversight at the institutional and national levels.
  • Establish national control measures for bio- and genomic data security, including policies with oversight, enforcement, and/or reporting mechanisms. BEP programs will help partners to establish national level bioand genomic data security policy and guidance, pathogen control measures such as select agent lists, and oversight and enforcement capacity for these frameworks.
  • Promote BRM certification internationally. BEP programs will support foreign partners from across all regions to be trained on BRM and to take internationally recognized certification exams or similar forms of professional development. Prevent cybersecurity threats in biological laboratories, including facilities handling genomic data or relying on laboratory automation, by decreasing vulnerabilities and promoting adoption of effective risk mitigation options. BEP programs will train laboratory staff, IT managers, procurement managers, and laboratory decision makers on cybersecurity threats and risks within biological laboratories to protect sensitive biological research, data, databases, and laboratory facilities and equipment against illicit or unauthorized access, theft, tampering, or other forms of misuse. BEP programs will also support cyber hygiene training to promote security best practices.
  • Increase partnership with professional associations to sustainably develop and disseminate biosecurity, research security, and know-your-collaborator guidelines and best practices. BEP programs will engage national and regional biosafety associations and related consortium to train members on biosecurity, research security, and know-your-collaborator best practices; develop curriculum and other resources on these topics; and deploy these associations to raise awareness and train biological communities across their countries and regions.
  • Support the UNSGM’s ability to investigate possible BW use. BEP programs will engage foreign partners to increase technical capacity and participation in the UNSGM.
  • Deny non-state actors the expertise, materials, and equipment necessary to conduct biological attacks. BEP programs, in a small number of selected countries, will train on insider threats and responsible research in the life sciences, enhance capacity to secure and safely handle high consequence pathogens, and assist partners with development of human reliability programs. BEP programs will also build capacity to identify and disrupt loweffort biological attacks through biothreat detection and response trainings for first responders, forensic scientists, laboratorians, and other appropriate partners.
  • Establish dialogues with industry involved in the manufacture and distribution of equipment and biotechnologies with BW-applications to help partners institute screening measures, such as KYC, to secure supply chains.

Funding Information

• Total Funding Ceiling: $15,000,000
• Anticipated number of awards: 5
• Duration: 15 months

Expected Outcomes

• All proposals will measure partner capacity before and after training and engagement, with the expectation that skills, procedures, and abilities have increased due to ISN/CTR support.

Eligible Countries

• Priority countries may include but are not limited to:
  • Angola, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, DRC, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Georgia, Greece, Guinea, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Moldova, Mozambique, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Romania, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Türkiye, Yemen, and Zambia.

Eligibility Criteria

• U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations with or without 501(c) (3) status of the U.S. tax code; foreign-based non-profit organizations/non-government organizations (NGO); Federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs); public International Organizations; Foreign Public Entities; U.S.-based private, public, or state institutions of higher education; foreign-based institutions of higher education, and U.S. for-profit organizations or businesses.

Application Requirements

• For all application documents, please ensure:
  • All documents are in English, and all costs are in U.S. dollars. If an original document within the application is in another language, an English translation must be provided. If any document is provided in both English and a foreign language, the English language version is the controlling version;
  • All pages are numbered, including budgets and attachments;
  • All documents are formatted to 8 ½ x 11 paper; and,
  • All documents are single-spaced, 14-point Calibri font, with 1-inch margins. Captions and footnotes may be 10-point Calibri font. Font sizes in charts and tables, including the budget, can be reformatted to fit within 1 page width.
  • All application materials must be submitted through the official portal unless you are a U.S. Government entity applying for Inter-Agency Agreement (IAA) funding.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.