On September 27-28, G2G attended the Inaugural Government Biotechnology Innovation Summit in National Harbor, MD. The forum was centered on highlighting the ongoing government approach towards bolstering the biosecurity and national security, the bioeconomy, and opportunities for industry to engage with the government to meet these goals. Key speakers and takeaways include:

• David Stiefel - Acting Sr. Director, National Security Council discussed President Biden’s Executive Order on Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing from September 2022. He explained how it is the guiding document for federal agencies and interagency coordination for preventing, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from biological and epidemiological threats, as well as building long-term resilience. The Administration routinely engages with agencies to discuss how they are meeting initiative benchmarks, including how agencies are proactively working with the business community.
• Nikki Bratcher-Bowman – COO, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) discussed her agency’s transition to a standalone operating division of the Department of Health and Human Services. ASPR’s Industrial Base Management & Supply Chain (IBMSC) Program Office, has been overseeing $16.1 billion investments in PPE, diagnostics, and advanced manufacturing technology for small molecules, essential medicines, and active pharmaceutical ingredients. IBMSC’s IBx Connect is a forum for potential industrial partners to showcase how they can meet critical supply chain needs to ASPR affiliates and a wide array of stakeholders across the federal government.
• Amy Jenkins – Mission Office Director, Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) discussed how her new agency is working to move forward game changing innovations to meet critical unmet needs in the healthcare space, as fast as possible, through a high-risk, high-reward lens. She discussed ARPA-H’s non-hierarchical program manager (PM) driven approach to developing initiatives, as well as how its Broad Agency Announcement will serve as the main vehicle for disbursing funds, until the agency is at steady state with 60-80 PMs and dozens of programs.
• Staff and Commissioners of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB), which is an organization focused on conducting a review of how advancements in emerging biotechnology and related technologies will shape current and future activities of the DoD. It has a Congressionally directed mandate of operation for 3 years and is comprised of twelve commissioners including four Members of Congress. NSCEB is expected to issue an interim report in December 2023, and a final report in December 2024 that will include action-oriented policy recommendations for Congress and the President. They are happy to engage with industry and others in shaping report recommendations.