Plans to Establish IBBIS Cited in Testimony at U.S. House Hearing on “Biosecurity for the Future: Strengthening Deterrence and Detection”
IBBIS was referenced in the testimony of Jaime M. Yassif, Ph.D., at the U.S. House Hearing on “Biosecurity for the Future: Strengthening Deterrence and Detection” on December 8, 2021. The hearing was held before the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation.
Yassif spoke about risks and gaps in the international system and the need to reduce emerging biological risks associated with rapid technology advances. Yassif stated:
“…NTI is working with international partners to develop the International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS). We envision that this new organization will work collaboratively to strengthen global biosecurity norms and develop innovative tools to uphold them. The underlying goal will be to safeguard science and reduce the risk of catastrophic events that could result from deliberate abuse or accidental misuse of bioscience and biotechnology. 2,3
In advancing this important initiative, we recognize that there is no single silver bullet for fully eliminating risks associated with dual-use bioscience research. To effectively guard against these risks, the world needs a layered defense—encompassing multiple interventions throughout the bioscience and biotechnology research and development life cycle: from funding, through execution, and on to publication or commercialization. In pursuit of this goal, IBBIS will develop practical, innovative tools that can concretely reduce risks at these different intervention points.”
Read the full testimony here. Watch the video here.
Yassif spoke about risks and gaps in the international system and the need to reduce emerging biological risks associated with rapid technology advances. Yassif stated:
“…NTI is working with international partners to develop the International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS). We envision that this new organization will work collaboratively to strengthen global biosecurity norms and develop innovative tools to uphold them. The underlying goal will be to safeguard science and reduce the risk of catastrophic events that could result from deliberate abuse or accidental misuse of bioscience and biotechnology. 2,3
In advancing this important initiative, we recognize that there is no single silver bullet for fully eliminating risks associated with dual-use bioscience research. To effectively guard against these risks, the world needs a layered defense—encompassing multiple interventions throughout the bioscience and biotechnology research and development life cycle: from funding, through execution, and on to publication or commercialization. In pursuit of this goal, IBBIS will develop practical, innovative tools that can concretely reduce risks at these different intervention points.”
Read the full testimony here. Watch the video here.