Global Biosecurity Engagement Activities

Description

Potential applicants should read all documents in the "related documents" section. Application Submission Process: Applicants should submit project proposals electronically using Grants.gov. Thorough instructions on the Grants.gov application process are available at http://www.grants.gov. For questions relating to Grants.gov, please call the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726. The Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR), part of the Department’s Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN), sponsors foreign assistance activities funded by the Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining and Related Programs (NADR) account, and focuses on mitigating proliferation risk in frontline states and regions where the terrorist threat is on the rise, such as South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. 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. ObjectivesBy the end of the award’s period of performance, the recipient will have successfully developed and implemented a project or projects to advance BEP’s mission by:• Promoting biorisk management practices • Securing life science institutions and dangerous pathogens in priority regions• Decreasing the risk that scientists with dual-use expertise will misuse pathogens• Promoting the detection, disruption, mitigation, and investigation of biological terrorism plots• Partnering with non-scientific interlocutors such as policymakers, law enforcement, military, and diplomatic audiences to promote biorisk management• Promoting the adoption of and compliance with comprehensive international frameworks that advance U.S. biological nonproliferation objectivesFunding PrioritiesWhile global in scope, ISN/CTR focuses its resources on prioritized countries to maximize its aim of reducing biological risks. During the 2018 fiscal year, BEP’s highest priority countries for engagement are Iraq, Turkey, and Yemen. BEP’s second highest priority countries are Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines, Somalia, and Tunisia. The program will also consider project proposals for other countries (e.g., Ukraine) and those in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America regions. The recipient shall leverage relevant subject matter experts to create, develop, and implement projects that advance the BEP mission. Below is a sample list of the types of biosecurity projects ISN/CTR will consider for funding:• Projects that promote biorisk management practices such as technical consultations, risk assessments, and biorisk management training courses;• Projects that secure life science institutions and dangerous pathogens;• Projects that decrease the risk that scientists with dual-use research expertise will misuse pathogens; • Projects that promote the detection, disruption, and investigation of potential bioterrorism plots;• Projects that strengthen the capacity for public and veterinary health systems to safely, securely, and responsibly detect, report, and control infectious disease outbreaks;• Projects that promote joint scientific and other collaborations designed to help prevent, detect, and respond to biological threats; and • Projects that promote the adoption of and compliance with comprehensive international frameworks that advance U.S. biological nonproliferation objectives

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