BIO-ISAC had the privilege of representing those in the bioeconomy at the U.S.-U.K. Industry Dialogue on Bolstering Resilience and Security of the Bioeconomy.
Hosted by the U.S. Department of State and the U.K. Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, the goal of the event was to foster productive transatlantic partnerships and exchanges on responsible biotechnology research and innovation, sensitive technology protections, and defense of intellectual property.
Where are we regarding global information sharing for the bioeconomy? What collaborations exist regarding the safety of international trade and commerce?
And, importantly, how might we strengthen efforts in cyberbiosecurity together?
Convened in Manchester, England, BIO-ISAC led a cyberbiosecurity training exercise built on its lived experiences handling international incidents. Participants navigated the modules, digesting the discomforts of facing accessible security issues and the swift waves of complications that unfolded. The group also considered the impacts to everyday items in their workplaces and homes a cyberbiosecurity incident can create.
Working together, participants spoke about their own lived experiences in industry. They detailed the challenges of working at the forefront of innovative science, where regulations have yet to consider pathways for market access or trade, and on the opportunities to share ideas for model guidance and collaborate through public-private partnerships more regularly. Those convened agreed we must continue this information sharing work so the world’s greatest science can advance, safely and securely for us all.
Manchester itself has a unique history as a beacon for action regarding international commerce and trade between the United States and the United Kingdom. The city is home to a statue of Abraham Lincoln honoring mutual support and trade agreements between the nations during the U.S. Civil War. At the time, the working men of Manchester received a personal request from then President Abraham Lincoln and voted to support his efforts for fair wages at the cotton farms in the United States. In exchange for ceasing the import of raw cotton, closing their enormous textile industry said to “clothe England” at the time, Lincoln sent the town supplies and food. Still, the workers and their families faced great poverty while prioritizing the pursuit of a just future. Without this vote and conviction, the outcomes of the war would likely have been quite different for the United States.
With this same determined focus on our future, BIO-ISAC looks to continue strengthening these global public-private partnerships to create a safe, secure bioeconomy for us all.
Special thanks extends to CRDF Global for convening this event and to BIO-ISAC members Google and GeneInfoSec for joining the conversation.
