International Guidelines for Biosecurity Ethics

The “Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines for Codes of Conduct for Scientists” are a set of 10 guiding principles and standards of conduct designed to promote responsible science practice and strengthen biosecurity governance at national and institutional levels. Practitioners and policymakers may also use the guidelines to develop new or enhance, supplement, or update existing codes of conduct adaptive to a specific context and responsive to the biorisks arising from the rapid advances in biological sciences.

The guidelines were developed through a collaboration between the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, The InterAcademy Partnership, and the Tianjin University Center for Biosafety Research and Strategy to address the lack of commonly accepted guiding principles for international biosecurity practice. In spring 2021, the organizing institutions hosted 2 virtual workshops to gain input from an international cadre of life science researchers and experts in biosecurity governance, featuring over 20 participants from 15 countries across 4 continents.

The guidelines have been endorsed by the InterAcademy Partnership and presented at the Biological Weapons Convention Meeting of Experts on Science and Technology on June 29, 2021.

Project team lead: Dr. Gigi Gronvall

Project team: Anita Cicero, Marc Trotochaud, Kelsey Lane Warmbrod

Project supported by: The Office of Foreign Consequence Management, US Department of State

Resources:

• Read the Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines for Codes of Conduct for Scientists (PDF)
• Download the Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines for Codes of Conduct for Scientists PDFs in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish.
• Developing Ethical Standards for Life Science Researchers: Creation of the Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines for Codes of Conduct for Scientists - Download as a PDF or Powerpoint
• Biosecurity for All: The Role of Scientists, A Virtual Side Event for the BWC Preparatory Committee Meeting - April 6, 2022
  • View the PDF • View the video
• Article: The Biological Weapons Convention should endorse the Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines for Codes of Conduct

Posters

• Developing Ethical Guidelines for Practitioners in the Life Sciences:The Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines (PDF)