---
title: "U.S. – UK Strategic Dialogue on Biological Security"
description: "CBRNe World provides those tasked with defending against CBRN and IED threats with the essential practical, scientific and political information. Access the current and previous issues of the magazine by registering as a member."
url: "https://cbrneworld.com/news/subscribers/u-s-uk-strategic-dialogue-on-biological-security"
date: "2026-07-30T21:11:30+00:00"
language: "en-GB"
---

#  U.S. – UK Strategic Dialogue on Biological Security

 Written by Zoe Rutherford on 18 January 2024.

Building on the June 10, 2021 New Atlantic Charter and the June 8, 2023 Atlantic Declaration on Economic Security, the U.S. National Security Council and the UK Cabinet Office announced a new Strategic Dialogue on Biological Security during a launch event.

Underpinned by the [UK Biological Security Strategy](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-biological-security-strategy) and the [U.S. National Biodefense Strategy](https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/National-Biodefense-Strategy-and-Implementation-Plan-Final.pdf), this Strategic Dialogue reflects a shared ambition to bolster future heath and economic resilience against a growing and diverse spectrum of biological threats.

The Strategic Dialogue reaffirms both nations’ commitment to increase collaboration in the following ways:

- Develop a shared understanding of research and development (R&D) needs at the onset of new disease outbreaks, allowing for improved responsiveness by shaping global R&D efforts and supporting early technology assessments.
- Adopt a One Health approach to biosurveillance and biological threat detection, in support of international efforts to develop stronger and more interconnected global surveillance capabilities.
- Pursue the development of new tools and methodologies for microbial forensics and attribution.
- Promote responsible innovation in the biotechnology, health, and life sciences sectors, shaping global norms and standards on biosafety and biosecurity while simultaneously protecting burgeoning bio-economies.
- Facilitate the development of next-generation vaccines and therapeutics, in line with the 100-Days Mission vision supported by G7 leaders in Carbis Bay in 2021 and reaffirmed at the 2023 G7 Summit in Hiroshima.
- Strengthen coordination of efforts to counter biological threats, including developing joint measures to address Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention compliance.

The two nations announced a new strategic dialogue on biosecurity. The Cabinet Office said this will strengthen their collaboration on bio-surveillance to detect threats to humans, animals, plants and the environment; vaccine and therapeutics development; research and development for a swifter response to disease outbreaks; microbial forensics; and promoting global responsible innovation in biotechnology, health and life sciences.

Announced by the Cabinet Office and White House National Security Council, the partnership builds on existing commitments made in the Atlantic Declaration signed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and US President Joe Biden in Washington last June to bolster UK-US economic ties.

In a further bid to boost the UK’s biosecurity capabilities, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden also announced a £2 million uplift for the Guy’s and St Thomas’ respiratory metagenomics project, which uses genetic sequencing to detect pathogens while providing crucial data on emerging diseases.

Mr Dowden, who is visiting St Thomas’ Hospital to see progress on the scheme, said: “I am pleased to be announcing this strategic partnership with the UK’s closest ally, the United States, which reflects our shared ambitions to build resilience in the face of increased biosecurity threats.

“Schemes such as the respiratory metagenomics project are key to increasing our biosecurity, with the work done at Guy’s and St Thomas’ serving the dual purpose of improved NHS diagnosis and informing systems to monitor infectious diseases which threaten the health and economic security of our nation.”

Professor Ian Abbs, chief executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Through metagenomic testing, we can now identify and treat infections faster than ever before. Our ambition for diagnosing within hours rather than days is becoming a reality.

“The benefits of this investment in the metagenomics service will in time reach beyond our wards to provide this capability at hospitals across England, identifying emerging pathogens at a national scale.”

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