CNAS Task Force on Biotechnology and American Competitiveness

The CNAS Task Force on Biotechnology and American Competitiveness tackles critical issues at the nexus of biotechnology and U.S. national security. Bringing together experts from government, industry, and academia, the CNAS Biotech Task Force develops pragmatic policy recommendations to address acute biosecurity challenges such as bioterrorism and bolster American competitiveness across the biotechnology landscape—from synthetic biology to pharmaceuticals to genomic editing.

The CNAS Biotech Task Force is chaired by Michael Chertoff, former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security and now Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of The Chertoff Group.

Task Force Chair

Task Force Executive Director

Task Force Members

Biotech Matters Commentary Series:

Technology & National Security

Biotech Matters: Problems with Life Science Databases in the United States

While humans will retain their ultimate mysteries, many aspects of their traits, diseases, and environment are becoming increasingly tractable. Much of this advance has come f...

Technology & National Security

Biotech Matters: Public-Private Coordination of Biotechnology

An appreciation of biotechnology’s great opportunities is, for many commentators, intimately joined with regret about a disconnect between the U.S. government and the private ...

Technology & National Security

Biotech Matters: Great Data Competition and Interoperability with Allies and Partners

Understanding and strengthening America’s biotechnology leadership requires exploring the limits of existing data relevant to the U.S. bioeconomy so that policymakers and the ...

Technology & National Security

Biotech Matters: Innovation in Agricultural Biotechnology

In 1986, the United States established a “Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology.” In the decades since, this policy helped to enable the rapid development ...

Technology & National Security

Biotech Matters: Automated Scientists Will Power Tomorrow’s Bioeconomy

Twenty years ago, it was barely plausible that soon every person on Earth would have a supercomputer in their pocket with ready access to the world’s information. Even though ...

Technology & National Security

Biotech Matters

Operation Warp Speed showed the power of the U.S. government to direct national biotech capabilities around a shared goal—in this case, a novel vaccine. But there are many oth...

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Technology & National Security

Virtual Event: Biotechnology and American Competitiveness

Jun 2, 2021

Technology & National Security

Regenerate: Biotechnology and U.S. Industrial Policy

A revolution in biotechnology is dawning at the precise moment the world needs it most. Amid an ongoing climate crisis, fast-paced technological maturation, and a global pande...

Technology & National Security

Industrial Policy for Biotech?

Does America need an industrial policy to compete in biotech? Ryan Fedasiuk joins China Talk to discuss. Listen to the full interview from ChinaTalk....

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