Key issues in the implementation of the Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines for codes of conduct for scientists: a survey of biosecurity education projects

In order to effectively implement the Tianjin Biosecurity Guidelines in codes of conduct for life scientists, biosecurity awareness-raising and education are essential because if these are not in place scientists will not understand the need for biosecurity codes of conduct. In an effort to assist in the consideration of the implementation of the guidelines a small-scale survey was carried out in early 2022 of biosecurity awareness-raising and education projects that have been developed over the last two decades with a view to discovering what resources and experience has been accumulated. It is argued that the survey demonstrates that much of what is needed to effectively implement the guidelines has been developed, but that there are specific deficiencies that need to be remedied quickly. In particular, an updated teaching resource covering the core issues related to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) and the problem of dual use in scientific research needs to be made widely available and translated into at least the six official UN languages. Additionally, more specialists from the Humanities with expertise in ethics need to become involved in biosecurity awareness-raising and education activities, and while advantage should be taken now of the available national, regional and international networks of people involved in related activities, it is suggested that in the longer term cooperation in biosecurity awareness-raising and education will benefit from the development of an equivalent organisation to the International Nuclear Security Education Network (INSEN) organised through the IAEA