University Policy Centers

University Policy Centers are playing a role similar to non-governmental organizations in biosecurity, arms control, and strategic security. By exploring policy options, evaluating current policy and providing accurate information to the public, these centers play a vital role in forming sound domestic and international policy. In addition, many of these centers offer degrees where students can choose to focus on biosecurity and biodefense.

Duke University
Southeast Regional Center of Excellence for Emerging Infections and Biodefense – Policy, Ethics, and Law Core
Durham, NC 27705
“Research, clinical care, and public health interventions related to emerging infections and biodefense raise critically important ethical, legal, and social issues. The Policy, Ethics and Law (PEL) Core is part of the Southeast Regional Center of Excellence for Biodefense and Emerging Infections (SERCEB), one of 10 regional centers established by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to develop new vaccines, therapies, and diagnostics for emerging infections and biodefense threats. “

Emory University
Center for Public Health Preparedness and Research
Rollins School of Public Health
Emory University
1518 Clifton Road NE
Atlanta, GA 30322
Telephone: (404) 712-8340
“The Center for Public Health Preparedness and Research (CPHPR) at Emory University endeavors to advance the art and science of public health practice and identify policies and tools that enable communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emerging infectious diseases, terrorism, and other public health threats.”

George Mason University
National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases
10900 University Blvd, MSN 4E3
Manassas, VA 20110
Telephone: (703) 993-8545
“The National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases is an integral part of the Life Sciences initiative in the College of Arts and Sciences. Founded in 2001 to address the challenges to national and international security posed by the threat of biological terrorism, the scope of the center has evolved to include the study of infectious diseases that are emerging from populations around the world due, in part, to today’s internationally mobile society.”

Harvard University
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
John F. Kennedy School of Government
79 JFK St.
Cambridge, MA 02138
Telephone: (617) 495-1400
“The Center’s mission is to provide leadership in advancing policy-relevant knowledge about the most important challenges of international security and other critical issues where science, technology, environmental policy, and international affairs intersect.” A component of the Belfer Center, “the International Security Program…has a vigorous research program that focuses on important contemporary security issues as well as their historical and conceptual foundations. In recent years, ISP has engaged in major research projects on topics such as reducing the threat from ‘loose nukes’ in the former Soviet nuclear arsenal [and] controlling chemical and biological weapons.”

Harvard University and
University of Sussex:
Harvard Sussex Program on Chemical and Biological Warfare
SPRU – Science and Technology Policy Research
Freeman Centre
University of Sussex
Brighton
East Sussex
BN1 9QE, UK
Telephone: +44 (0) 12 7367 8172
“The Harvard Sussex Program (HSP) exists in order to increase the contribution of scholarship to the formation of public policy on issues involving chemical/biological warfare (CBW) and its underlying technologies. University-based research, publication, other forms of international communication, and training of young people are the means HSP uses to this end. HSP also promotes frameworks of study, both national and international, that bring together scientists and other scholars with officials of governmental and intergovernmental bodies.”

James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies
Center for Nonproliferation Studies
460 Pierce Street
Monterey, CA 93940
Telephone: (831) 647-4154
“The Monterey Institute of International Studies Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) strives to combat the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by training the next generation of nonproliferation specialists and disseminating timely information and analysis. CNS at the Monterey Institute of International Studies is the largest nongovernmental organization in the United States devoted exclusively to research and training on nonproliferation issues.” Within CNS, “the Chemical and Biological Weapons (CBW) Nonproliferation Program monitors the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons and develops strategies for halting and reversing their spread. Current research activities include: overcoming obstacles to chemical and biological disarmament in Russia; assessing motivations for CBW acquisition by states and terrorist groups; and monitoring chemical, biological, and radiological terrorism.”

National Defense University
Center for Technology and National Security Policy
300 5th Avenue SW
Fort Lesley J. McNair
Washington, DC 20319
Telephone: (202) 685-2529
“The Center for Technology and National Security Policy (CTNSP) examines the implications of technological innovation for U.S. national security policy and military planning. CTNSP combines scientific and technical assessments with analyses of current strategic and defense policy issues, taking on topics to bridge the gap. The Center has produced studies on proliferation and homeland security, military transformation, international science and technology, information technology, life sciences, and social science modeling.”

Princeton University
Program on Science and Global Security
221 Nassau Street, 2nd Floor
Princeton, NJ 08542
Telephone: (609) 258-4677
“The Program on Science and Global Security, a research group at Princeton University since 1975, became a unit of the Woodrow Wilson School in July 2001. The Program seeks to provide the technical basis for policy initiatives in nuclear arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation. A principal additional role of the Program is to train U.S. and foreign scientists interested in informing their publics and governments about nuclear arms control, disarmament and nonproliferation policy options.”

St. Louis University
Institute for Biosecurity
School of Public Health
3545 Lafayette, Ste. 300
St. Louis, MO 63104
Telephone: (314) 977-8257
“The mission of the Institute for Biosecurity is to provide public health and emergency response professionals with the education needed for preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation of emerging public health threats, and for the Institute to conduct research that will contribute to the development of national policies to address these threats.”

Stanford University Institute for International Studies
Center for International Security and Cooperation
Center for International Security and Cooperation: Inquiries
616 Serra St, E200
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6055
Telephone: (650) 723-9625
“The Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) at Stanford University has the three-fold mission of producing outstanding policy-relevant research on international security, teaching and training the next generation of security specialists, and influencing public policy.” Scholars at CISAC “examine emerging biotechnologies that could be used to cause catastrophic harm, and how to respond to such threats…CISAC researchers [also] are thinking through related public policy issues such as the best ways to strengthen public health surveillance and emergency response, the utility and drawbacks of oversight of research or research publication, and the advantages and dangers of classified biodefense work.”

Texas Tech University
Center for Biodefense, Law, and Public Policy
2500 Broadway
Lubbock, TX 79409
Telephone: (806) 742-2011
“On September 23, 2001, the TTU Chancellor and President appointed the Task Force for Anti-Terrorism and Public Security to determine how Texas Tech University could best respond to the needs of the community, state and nation through our research and education resources. Among the recommendations from the Task Force was the formation of a Center to address law and public policy issues in biodefense. From that recommendation, the Center for Biodefense, Law and Public Policy was established in September 2002, and Dr. Victoria Sutton was appointed the first Director. Center faculty are from not only the law school but from throughout the Texas Tech System from multiple disciplines such as mass communications, microbiology, medicine, forensic science, pathology, animal science, food science and plant science.”

University of California
Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0518
La Jolla, CA 92093
Telephone: (858) 534-3352
“The University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) facilitates innovative, rigorous research into the causes of international conflict and cooperation. Founded in 1983 as a research unit serving the entire UC system, IGCC’s multi-campus structure allows it to build research teams from all ten UC campuses and the UC-managed Lawrence Livermore and Los Alamos National Laboratories, providing broad-based links to the U.S. and foreign governments, and policy institutes from around the globe… IGCC is committed to educating the next generation of international problem-solvers and peacemakers through its research and teaching activities. The institute is one of the largest sources of dissertation and fellowship support on international studies in the United States. IGCC supports individual faculty and graduate student research throughout the UC system as well as international affairs programs on each UC campus.”

University of Bradford
Bradford Disarmament Research Centre
Department of Peace Studies
Pemberton Building
University of Bradford
Bradford, West Yorkshire BD7 1DP
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0) 12 7423 4187
The Bradford Disarmament Research Centre is within the University of Bradford ’s Department of Peace Studies. “Following an initiative by the Society of Friends the Department of Peace Studies was established in 1973 and it has grown to become arguably the leading academic centre for the study of peace and conflict in the world. It has an international reputation for research excellence and was awarded a maximum score in the most recent national audit of its teaching quality.”

University of California at Irvine
Center for Unconventional Security Affairs
Social Ecology I
Irvine, CA 92697
Telephone: (949) 824-8804
“The Center for Unconventional Security Affairs (CUSA) at the University of California Irvine addresses the security challenges of the 21st century through innovative research and education programs that integrate experts from the public and private sectors. Technological innovation, economic globalization, and the spread of democracy have dramatically transformed the security landscape. While the incidence of war has declined, other threats have moved onto the agenda, ranging from global terrorist networks to environmental change to infectious disease. CUSA has pioneered a collaborative, interdisciplinary structure that draws on the best resources available from UCI, the policy community, and the public and private sectors. CUSA conducts research and provides a range of educational and public services focused on areas of concern for human and national security.”

University of Exeter
Biological Weapons & Codes of Conduct
Exeter EX4 4RJ
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0) 13 9226 3353
“This website aims to provide resources for those considering the place, purpose and prospects of codes of conduct. It includes a chronology of past discussions about codes for bioscientists, notice of relevant events, publications and references information, and links to key organizations. It has been established as part of a research project undertaken by Brian Rappert (University of Exeter) and Malcolm Dando (University of Bradford) funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council New Security Challenges Programme entitled ‘Coding Research: Biological Weapons, Security & the Silencing of Science’.”

Univeristy of Hamburg
Hamburg Centre for Biological Weapons and Arms Control
Forschungsstelle Biowaffen
FSP BIOGUM
Falkenried 94
20251 Hamburg
Germany
Telephone: +49 (0)40 42803-6312/6313
“The Centre was founded in the Summer of 2003 at the University of Hamburg. The aim is to contribute, through innovative research and outreach activities, to the universal prevention of biological weapon development, production and use. The development of new verification strategies and concepts is the core research area of the Study Group.”

University of Louisville
Center for Deterrence of Biowarfare and Bioterrorism
555 S Floyd Street
Louisville, KY 40202
“The University of Louisville Center for the Deterrence of Biowarfare and Bioterrorism is providing the following: course offerings on bioterrorism response for health providers, including simulations and discipline-specific materials; training for emergency room personnel, primary care clinicians and clinical laboratorians which will enable the early detection of a bioterrorist attack; training modules, including distance education modules, for health providers as first responders to bioterrorism events; advanced integrated information management systems for disease surveillance and epidemiology; communications methods to include extended metropolitan and rural regions to facilitate early recognition and coordinate responses to bioterrorism events; and outcomes measurements, and evaluations of processes and interventions.”

University of Maryland
Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland
School of Public Affairs
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: (301) 405-7614
“The Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland (CISSM) is a research center that pursues policy-oriented scholarship on major issues facing the United States in the global arena.” The Controlling Dangerous Pathogens Project “brings together leading scientists, arms control experts, information technology specialists, lawyers, and industry representatives from the U.S. and abroad to discuss the need for systematic protection against misapplications of biotechnology, and to develop a prototype oversight system in which selective disclosure and review could increase protection without banning beneficial research or imposing excessive secrecy.”

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy
Academic Health Center
420 Delaware St SE
MMC 263
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Telephone: (612) 626-6770
The mission of Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) is “to prevent illness and death from infectious diseases through epidemiologic research and the rapid translation of scientific information into real-world practical applications and solutions.” CIDRAP delivers on its mission through: “consensus building; connecting scientific research to real-world action; synthesizing information; communicating; [and] conducting research.”

University of Nebraska
Center for Biosecurity, Biopreparedness, and Emerging Infectious Diseases
984320 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha NE 68198-4320
Telephone: (402)552-2529
The CBBEID is focused on activities directed toward preparedness for public health emergencies, as well as related traditional academic and community activities in the fields of preparedness and infectious diseases. This Center will provide coordination and support for the interdisciplinary activities of research, education (both graduate and continuing education) and all-hazards preparedness planning in Nebraska and on regional and national levels.

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Center for Biosecurity
The Pier IV Building
621 E. Pratt Street, Suite 210
Baltimore, MD 21202
Telephone: (443) 573-3304
“Drawing on the expertise of a multidisciplinary professional staff with experience in government, medicine, public health, bioscience, and the social sciences, the Center’s projects aim to: provide independent, critical research and analysis for decision makers in government, national security, bioscience, medicine, public health, and private industry; build international networks of scientists, medical and public health practitioners, scholars and decision-makers to improve communication about biosecurity, create common objectives, and facilitate development of new knowledge; develop scenarios for decision-makers that illustrate key challenges in epidemic preparedness and response and offer possible paths forward; [and,] promote the responsible use and governance of increasingly powerful bioscience and biotechnologies.”

University of South Florida
Center for Biological Defense
3602 Spectrum Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33612
Telephone: (813) 974-6663
The University of South Florida Center for Biological Defense’s (CBD) mission “is to conduct laboratory-based applied research and develop web-enhanced surveillance systems for the rapid identification of bioterrorism and other emerging infectious disease events; and to provide education and training in homeland security to professionals in the community.” The Center’s objectives include: “develop[ing] innovative rapid clinical and environmental screening tests to allow early detection and recognition of biological agents suggestive of a BT attack; provid[ing] effective and efficient dual-use surveillance of possible BT agents in non-traditional settings; …[and] educat[ing] and train[ing] health professionals, emergency personnel, and government agencies in preparation for, detection of, and response to, a BT attack.”

University of Washington at Seattle
Forum on Science Ethics and Policy
Box 357120
Seattle, WA 98195
Telephone: (206) 543-8043The Forum on Science Ethics and Policy (FOSEP) “is a multidisciplinary, nonpartisan organization initiated by graduate students from the University of Washington. FOSEP is hosted by the Office of Research at the University of Washington.” The mission of FOSEP is to “foster discussion about the role of science in our society” and to “build a network of individuals interested in science ethics and policy in the Seattle area.”