Projects

International Council for the Life Sciences

As part of its mission to help safeguard access to dangerous pathogens and prevent the misuse of biomedical technology and information, NTI's Global Health and Security Initiative supported the development of the International Council for the Life Sciences. www.iclscharter.org

The International Council for the Life Sciences (ICLS)--a global, membership-based organization-- is actively working to safeguard the enormous benefits of the life sciences by encouraging best practices to enhance public safety and security and facilitating partnerships between governments, international inter-governmental organizations and the life sciences community.

These partnerships are essential to successfully reducing risks and securing the advances in the life sciences globally.

In April 2006 the ICLS, in partnership with the Moscow Medical Academy and NP TEMPO, hosted a seminar on promoting international cooperation to develop global standards for managing biological risks associated with the life sciences. The seminar was in Moscow, Russia and brought together scientific experts, as well as government officials and non-proliferation policy experts from the G-8 countries plus Sweden.

(from left) Leo Oswlacki from the ISTC, Dr. Mikhail Paltsev of the Moscow Medical Academy and TEMPO, and ICLS Director Terence Taylor participate in the April 2006 Seminar

The ICLS is led by Terence Taylor, who previously established the U.S. office of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), and served as its first president and executive director. Mr. Taylor served as the co-director of the project entitled "Safeguarding the Advances and Managing Risks: the Future of the Life Sciences" during his time at IISS-US, a three year project which led to the creation of the ICLS.

Initial support for the development of the ICLS came from NTI's Global Health and Security Initiative, and additional funding has come from NTI, The Sloan Foundation, The BioIndustry Initiative (US Department of State), the Canadian Government, and the Robert and Ardis James Foundation.

OTHER RESOURCES

Responding to the Threat of Pandemic Flu

Promoting Greater Security in Science

What the Anti-plague System of the former Soviet Union Can Offer Today

2008 Annual Report [pdf]