In Focus
Call for contributions: innovative ideas and new solutions to mitigate emerging risks of advances in biotechnology
Deadline: 31 October 2018
Advances in biotechnology are rapidly changing what is possible in medicine, agriculture, and industry. Progress in genomics, personalized medicine and bioengineering suggest the twenty-first century may indeed prove to be the ‘Century of Biology’, marking an inflection point in our capacity as humans to understand and intervene upon biological systems and the organic world. With this capacity, however, there also exist new possibilities for deliberate misuse, as advanced life science knowledge, materials and technologies become increasingly accessible to non-state actors. Depending on the pace and direction of change, as well as our capacity to anticipate and prevent misuse, numerous risk scenarios are possible such as hacking of healthcare data, agroterrorism or biocrime.
We are looking for innovative ideas and new solutions that can concretely contribute mitigating emerging and future risks posed by advances in biotechnology.
The call is for security experts and representatives from industry, academia, civil society organizations and international organizations.
Those interested to share innovative ideas and new solutions will be invited to a UNICRI meeting in Geneva in October 2018. The results will be used to prepare a Report on Emerging and Future Risks that will scan the horizon of technology solutions to anticipate and mitigate risks posed by advances in biotechnology.
The call is organized by UNICRI within the framework of its SIRIO initiative in Geneva.
The call is open until 31 October 2018.
If you are willing to join, please contact us:
Mr. Francesco Marelli (francesco.marelli@un.org) or Mr. Marco Musumeci (marco.musumeci@un.org).
We will send you all relevant information to contribute to the initiative.
Advances in biotechnology are rapidly changing what is possible in medicine, agriculture, and industry. Progress in genomics, personalized medicine and bioengineering suggest the twenty-first century may indeed prove to be the ‘Century of Biology’, marking an inflection point in our capacity as humans to understand and intervene upon biological systems and the organic world. With this capacity, however, there also exist new possibilities for deliberate misuse, as advanced life science knowledge, materials and technologies become increasingly accessible to non-state actors. Depending on the pace and direction of change, as well as our capacity to anticipate and prevent misuse, numerous risk scenarios are possible such as hacking of healthcare data, agroterrorism or biocrime.
We are looking for innovative ideas and new solutions that can concretely contribute mitigating emerging and future risks posed by advances in biotechnology.
The call is for security experts and representatives from industry, academia, civil society organizations and international organizations.
Those interested to share innovative ideas and new solutions will be invited to a UNICRI meeting in Geneva in October 2018. The results will be used to prepare a Report on Emerging and Future Risks that will scan the horizon of technology solutions to anticipate and mitigate risks posed by advances in biotechnology.
The call is organized by UNICRI within the framework of its SIRIO initiative in Geneva.
The call is open until 31 October 2018.
If you are willing to join, please contact us:
Mr. Francesco Marelli (francesco.marelli@un.org) or Mr. Marco Musumeci (marco.musumeci@un.org).
We will send you all relevant information to contribute to the initiative.