Projects

The Global Health and Security Initiative seeks to raise awareness and leverage direct action through innovative partnerships and creative approaches to reducing these threats. The two goals of our initiative are to:

• Improve the global capacity for the prevention of and preparedness for biological threats through enhanced disease surveillance, early detection and response.
• Promote the safe and secure practice of the biomedical sciences by safeguarding access to dangerous pathogens and preventing the misuse of technology and information.

Strengthening Global Disease Surveillance, Early Detection and Rapid Response

Middle East Consortium on Infectious Disease Surveillance (MECIDS)
To improve regional capacity for infectious disease surveillance in the Middle East by developing a food-borne and water-borne disease surveillance system uniting Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan, and by designing an infectious disease epidemiology course to build regional rapid response capabilities in the event of disease outbreaks. Financial support is provided by the World Bank, Gates Foundation and the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
NTI and others
Read more

Enhancing the Mekong Basin Disease Surveillance Network (MBDS)
To strengthen national and sub-regional disease surveillance capacity in the Mekong Basin area (Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam) by developing human resource and laboratory capacity that operates across borders, responds quickly to regional disease threats, and works to create equity in the national capacities to detect and respond to local outbreaks, and, hence, prevent regional or even global emergencies. Financial support is provided by Google.org. Read more

Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS)
To assist in the development of a consortium that enhances the Southern Africa region’s capacity for the detection, identification and monitoring of infectious diseases and thereby contribute to enhancing national capacities of countries in the region for the surveillance of infectious diseases, including emerging and previously unknown diseases. Develop a Secretariat and governance structure for the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS). Initially the consortium members include academic and research medical and veterinary institutions of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Tanzania, South Africa and Zambia. Financial support is provided by Google.org NTI and others. Read more

Connecting Health Organizations for Regional Disease Surveillance (CHORDS)
To implement the Bellagio Call for Action and continue the activities of a global community of infectious disease surveillance practice created by the December 2007 Bellagio meeting. With a select group of international experts to oversee the process, GHSI will be establishing working groups to develop strategies and materials for an international conference was held in early 2010. Financial support is provided by the Rockefeller Foundation. Read more

Creating a Regional Disease Surveillance System in South Asia
To develop a regional disease surveillance network that would initially bring together India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Improving Biological Threat Detection and Surveillance in Russia
To convene Russian and international disease control experts in arriving at a consensus on a direct action project to improve the early detection and surveillance of biological threats in Russia.

Control of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis in North Korea
To develop professional exchange with health specialists in North Korea and build capacity for control of drug resistant tuberculosis.
NTI and others

Promoting Science Security

International Council for the Life Sciences
To support and sustain an organization to promote best practices and standards for biosafety and biosecurity among the Life Sciences Community to reduce potential proliferation of dangerous pathogens and the misuse of technical information.
International Council for the Life Sciences
Washington, DC, USA Read more

AAAS-NTI Fellowship in Global Security
To strengthen scientific expertise in national security policymaking and encourage scientists to pursue careers in this arena, by supporting biomedical/public health experts to work on national security issues in the U.S. government through a one-year fellowship.
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Washington, DC, USA

Employing Former Bioweapons Scientists in Russia to Manufacture Diagnostic Enzymes for Endemic Infectious Disease Threats
To redirect former bioweapons scientists who were at risk of unemployment due to ongoing bankruptcy procedures at the State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (SRCAM) Obolensk, by providing them with alternative, long-term employment relevant to their scientific expertise.
SRCAM
Obolensk, Moscow Region, Russia

Regional Training Centers for Biological Safety and Security
To develop a comprehensive strategy for establishing regional training centers for biological safety and security in the Middle East/Gulf/North Africa region and eventually in South and South East Asia. The centers will offer life scientists and laboratory staff on-site technical training in the highest biosafety and biosecurity standards and practices, tailored specifically to their work and regional concerns.
NTI and others

Regional Reference Laboratory for Viral Hepatitis
To set up a reference laboratory at the facilities of the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology (VECTOR) that will meet all national and international requirements and regulations for diagnostic work involving the use of molecular biological methods.
VECTOR
Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia

Completed projects archive