Biosecurity
CEPI’s inaugural Biosecurity Strategy—supported by funding from Global Affairs Canada—aims to bolster global health security, underscoring its commitment to tackling emerging epidemic and pandemic threats, whether they arise naturally, accidentally or through deliberate misuse.
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Biosecurity for a New Era
Central to CEPI’s Biosecurity Strategy is the 100 Days Mission, an ambitious plan spearheaded by CEPI for the world to be able to develop pandemic-busting vaccines within 100 days of identifying a new infectious disease threat. The mission aims to drastically reduce the time required to respond to new and potentially catastrophic outbreaks, regardless of how they arise—potentially averting the loss of millions of lives and trillions of dollars.
The Biosecurity Strategy was launched on the sidelines of UNGA 2024 and defines a biosecurity focus to protect society from epidemic and pandemic threats, with an emphasis on preventing accidental and deliberate misuse of pathogens associated with CEPI-sponsored research. Informed by identified vulnerabilities, the strategy outlines 5 priority areas of focus:
1) Strengthen biosafety and biosecurity risk identification, mitigation and oversight by CEPI and encourage similar efforts by other life science research funders.
2) Enhance global biosafety and biosecurity capabilities of CEPI partners for achieving the 100 Days Mission safely and securely, and promote health-security partnerships.
3) Drive biosecurity and biosafety in support of equity.
4) Monitor and reduce emerging biotechnology and converging technology risks across CEPI’s vaccine research, development, and manufacturing portfolio.
5) Accelerate biosafety and biosecurity innovation for vaccine research, development, and manufacturing.
Biosecurity Game Changers Fellowship
In partnership with Brown University and other institutions focused on solutions at the intersection of biosecurity and global health, CEPI is proud to be part of the Biosecurity Game Changers Fellowship programme.
This fellowship is aimed at training and networking the next generation of health emergency leaders to better prepare them to make decisions, as well as develop policies and programs to prevent and prepare for worst-case scenarios. CEPI welcomed its inaugural Biosecurity Fellows in 2024: Faith Bagamuhunda (Uganda Office of the President) and Sana Masmoudi (Institut Pasteur Tunis).
The Biosecurity Game Changers Fellows and other rising Global South Leaders met at the 2025 Munich Security Conference in a discussion with senior global health and security leaders sponsored by CEPI, Brown Pandemic Center, and the Nuclear Threat Initiative to explore opportunities and challenges for accelerating global progress toward a safe and secure 100 Days Mission. Following this discussion, the rising leaders issued a declaration outlining their commitment to driving progress across generations and geographies, which CEPI is proud to support.
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The role of AI in biosecurity and the 100 Days Mission
AI holds extraordinary promise in accelerating global progress toward the 100 Days Mission, including improving pathogen detection, strengthening global early warning systems, accelerating vaccine design, and enhancing biomanufacturing processes. CEPI is harnessing the power of AI for some of its projects already, working with world-class institutions like Apriori Bio, Leipzig University, Houston Methodist Research Institute and UC Davis.
AI’s capabilities are expansive, which is why the world must work collaboratively to strengthen AI applications, maximising the benefits of new technologies, while reducing the potential threat to human health through deliberate or accidental misuse—this is where biosecurity plays a key role.
CEPI is actively driving global efforts to establish guidelines on the responsible use of AI, particularly in support of the 100 Days Mission. In collaboration with the University of Washington Institute of Protein Design, global AI developers, and biosecurity experts, CEPI developed and published principles to guide the responsible development of AI for protein design that has now been endorsed by more than 200 leaders across more than 30 countries.
Connect with CEPI's biosecurity team
By working together with like-minded organisations, we can strengthen global biosecurity and biosafety measures, ensuring a safer future for all. We welcome engagement from organisations that share our commitment to advancing biosecurity and biosafety standards. CEPI's biosecurity team is led by Director of Biosecurity Dr Andrew Hebbler. To contact the team, or to sign up for its mailing list, please email [email protected].
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Latest biosecurity news
Latest biosecurity news
International Bio Funders Compact to Integrate Biosecurity into Life Science Research Funding
Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) launch Bio Funders Compact to safeguard rapidly advancing life science research and development.
Bringing the 100 Days Mission to global security leaders
COVID-19 and other outbreaks have starkly shown that epidemics and pandemics are not just a health sector issue, they are also issues of national and global security.
CEPI and Global Affairs Canada deepen collaboration to strengthen international biosecurity and advance the 100 Days Mission
Partnership will will support CEPI’s continued work to manage the inherent biological security risks of the 21st century
