Model for Biosecurity Science and Technology Review- International Advisory Body, BWC | SFOP0006794

Opportunity Information: Apply for SFOP0006794

The Department of State, through the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, announced a discretionary funding opportunity (SFOP0006794) to support the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) community in building a stronger, more consistent way to review fast-moving advances in science and biotechnology through a biosecurity lens. The central aim is to produce consensus recommendations for BWC States Parties on how to organize and use science advice and technical analysis when weighing both the benefits and the potential security risks of emerging biotechnologies. In practical terms, the grant is meant to help design an international mechanism that can routinely scan, assess, and communicate the implications of new scientific and technological developments in a way that is credible to scientists and workable in a political, multilateral treaty setting.

The project focus is the creation of a proposed structure for an international science advisory body for biosecurity under the BWC, along with a model framework that body could use to deliver technically rigorous and politically credible assessments. That framework is expected to cover how topics are identified and prioritized, how expertise is selected and managed, how uncertainty and risk are communicated, and how outputs are shaped so they are useful to governments making policy decisions. The motivation behind this is to help States Parties make better-informed national decisions and to support implementation of their treaty obligations, especially as biotechnology continues to evolve rapidly and unevenly across different countries.

A major deliverable is a set of recommendations and a model framework that would be submitted for consideration at the BWC Review Conference preparatory process, with the timeline in the announcement pointing to submission to the April 2021 preparatory meeting. The larger diplomatic objective is to build enough agreement among States Parties that the approach could be endorsed at the 2021 BWC Review Conference, clearing the way for the formal establishment of a new international science advisory body in 2022. In other words, the funded work is positioned as upstream design and consensus-building that can feed directly into treaty deliberations and, ideally, into a standing capability for ongoing science and technology review.

The Department of State indicated that its Office of Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism (WMDT) would execute the project in coordination with the Office of Biological Policy Staff (BPS). BPS is described as the office that manages U.S. policy issues at the intersection of national security, public health, and science, and it leads U.S. participation in BWC-related activities. This signals that the cooperative agreement is not just a research exercise; it is closely tied to active policy engagement and multilateral coordination, with the U.S. government working alongside the awardee during development of the recommendations and framework.

The opportunity also emphasizes drawing on established scientific networks to ensure the product reflects broad, international technical credibility. Specifically, it references the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), a global network of 111 national science academies, as a key source for selecting technical experts to participate in the process. The work would be carried out in close cooperation with the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). This setup is meant to strengthen legitimacy and balance by grounding the analysis in recognized scientific institutions while still producing outputs tailored to the needs of treaty parties.

From an administrative standpoint, the award instrument is a cooperative agreement, which typically implies substantial involvement by the funding agency during performance rather than a fully hands-off grant. The activity category is science and technology and other research and development, with CFDA number 19.033. The award ceiling listed is $175,000, with one expected award, suggesting a single lead organization would be selected to run the overall effort. Eligibility is limited to nonprofits that do not have 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), and the opportunity was created on April 14, 2020, with an original application deadline of June 12, 2020.

Overall, this grant opportunity is best understood as a targeted, policy-relevant science governance project for the BWC: it funds the design of a standing international advisory capability, defines a practical framework for producing trusted assessments of emerging biotech and its biosecurity implications, and aims to deliver a consensus-ready proposal timed to influence formal BWC review and decision-making.

• The Department of State, Bureau of International Security-Nonproliferation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Model for Biosecurity Science and Technology Review- International Advisory Body, BWC" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.033.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 14, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 12, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $175,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for SFOP0006794

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