IBBIS (International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science)

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Quick Assessment

Dimension	Assessment	Evidence
Focus Area	DNA synthesis screening and biosecurity norms	Free open-source screening tool (commec); international standards development1
Founding	February 2024, spun out of NTI | bio	Incubated since 2019; headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland2
Funding	$3M launch grant from Founders Pledge	Independent Swiss non-profit foundation (registered June 2024)3
Team	approximately 10 staff	International team spanning UK, Canada, France, New Zealand, Switzerland, Brazil, Argentina4
Policy Influence	Growing	Paris Peace Forum Scale Up Program; EU Biotech Act advocacy; ISO 20688-2 operationalization56
Key Output	Common Mechanism (commec)	Free, open-source DNA synthesis screening software released May 20241

Overview

The International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS) is an independent Swiss non-profit foundation launched in February 2024 to strengthen international biosecurity governance amid rapid advances in bioscience and biotechnology.² The organization was incubated by NTI | bioNti BioThe biosecurity division of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, NTI | bio works to reduce global catastrophic biological risks through DNA synthesis screening, BWC strengthening, the Global Health Secur...Quality: 60/100 (the biosecurity division of the Nuclear Threat Initiative) beginning in 2019, with its need identified through consultations with international stakeholders who recognized a critical gap in the global architecture for responsible stewardship of science.⁷

IBBIS is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, at Route de Frontenex 41A, and is registered as a Swiss foundation with public-good mission (UID CHE-182.748.080).² The organization’s vision is “a world in which bioscience and biotechnology can advance and flourish safely and responsibly,” and its initial focus centers on preventing the misuse of DNA synthesis technology through practical tools and international standards.⁸

The organization’s flagship product is the Common Mechanism (software package name: commec), a free, open-source, globally available tool for screening orders of synthetic DNA and RNA.¹ Unlike proprietary alternatives, commec runs locally on provider systems with no data transferred to IBBIS, protecting customers’ intellectual property while enabling compliance with biosecurity standards.⁹

Dr. Margaret A. Hamburg, former FDA Commissioner, has described IBBIS as “a necessary institution” that “fills a critical gap in the global architecture for responsible stewardship of science.”²

History

Origins at NTI | bio (2019-2023)

In 2019, NTI | bio and international stakeholders identified the need for a dedicated organization to reduce emerging biological risks from advancing biotechnology.⁷ This work emerged from NTI’s Biosecurity Innovation and Risk Reduction Initiative (BIRRI). NTI launched the International Technical Consortium for DNA Synthesis Screening in partnership with the World Economic Forum in 2019, which began developing technical specifications for synthesis screening in 2020.¹⁰

In Fall 2022, NTI appointed Dr. Piers Millett as the inaugural Executive Director of the organization-in-formation.¹¹ Throughout 2021-2023, initial databases and screening algorithms were developed for what would become the Common Mechanism.¹

Launch and Early Operations (2024)

• February 2024: IBBIS officially launched as an independent organization²
• May 2024: Common Mechanism v0.1 (commec software) released at SynBioBeta¹
• June 2024: Accepted as a registered Swiss non-profit foundation²

Expansion and Standards Work (2025)

• February 2025: IBBIS participated in the AI Action Summit in Paris, contributing to discussions on AI and life sciences biosecurity¹²
• October 2025: Sequence Biosecurity Risk Consortium (SBRC) launched at the iGEM Responsibility Conference in Paris, defining what counts as a “sequence of concern”¹³
• November 2025: DNA Screening Standards Consortium (DSSC) launched in Singapore on November 6, with ≈30 experts from industry, academia, and government¹⁴
• 2025: IBBIS submitted formal response to the European Commission’s call for evidence on the EU Biotech Act, advocating for mandatory synthesis screening provisions⁶
• 2025: Paris Peace Forum Scale Up Program selected IBBIS as one of 10 initiatives for accelerated support⁵

Core Programs

Common Mechanism (commec)

The Common Mechanism is IBBIS’s flagship product: a free, open-source software package for screening orders of synthetic DNA and RNA.¹ It addresses two critical biosecurity functions: identifying potentially dangerous sequences (toxins, pathogen genes) and supporting customer verification.

Key features:

Feature	Details
Cost	Free and open-source (GitHub: ibbis-bio/common-mechanism)15
Privacy	Runs locally; no data transferred from users to IBBIS9
Screening steps	Biorisk search (HMM-based), Taxonomy search (regulated pathogens), Low-concern clearing1
Performance	Exceeds Bronze Standard benchmarks; tested against real customer orders16
Version	v0.1 released May 2024; ongoing development1
Contact	screening@ibbis.bio9

The software differentiates itself from proprietary alternatives by being fully open-source with publicly available databases, enabling any provider regardless of size or location to implement biosecurity screening at no cost.⁹

International Screening Standards

IBBIS works to harmonize and standardize DNA synthesis screening approaches globally, with core efforts including:¹⁷

• Strengthening screening standards (particularly operationalizing ISO 20688-2:2024)
• Promoting universal adoption across providers of all sizes
• Strengthening international coordination across US, UK, EU, WHO, and ASEAN frameworks

DNA Screening Standards Consortium (DSSC)

Launched November 6, 2025, in Singapore, the DSSC unites approximately 30 experts from industry, academia, government, standards bodies, and civil society to deliver practical screening guidance.¹⁴

Key deliverables:

• Clarify and operationalize ISO 20688-2:2024 biosecurity provisions through a supplementary implementation guide
• Develop ready-to-use workflows, templates, and training tools
• Facilitate global alignment across industry, regulators, and international organizations

The DSSC works alongside the Sequence Biosecurity Risk Consortium (SBRC), which defines what counts as a sequence of concern, while the DSSC translates those definitions into practical implementation standards.¹³¹⁴

Sophie Peresson, IBBIS Technical Lead, stated: “The world doesn’t need another statement of intent — it needs instructions that work. This Consortium is the engine that will convert standards into simple, consistent workflows.”¹⁴

Global DNA Synthesis Map

An interactive online tool showing, for the first time at a global level, where synthesis providers are located, how they screen orders, and what policies apply.¹⁸ The mapping identified providers across Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and the MENA region, and catalogued relevant policies in over 60 countries.¹⁸

A key finding from this mapping: only 15% of synthetic DNA providers currently implement screening for sequences of concern, representing a major regulatory and security gap.⁶

Biosecurity Game Changers Fellowship

IBBIS partners with the Brown University Pandemic Center, CEPI, Gavi, Pandemic Action Network, and the BWC Implementation Support Unit to host fellows from the Global South for a year-long biosecurity leadership program.¹⁹ The fellowship targets early- to mid-career biosecurity professionals, with an inaugural class of eight fellows beginning in 2024.

Policy and Advocacy

EU Biotech Act

IBBIS submitted a formal response to the European Commission’s call for evidence, advocating for a phased pathway built around four pillars:⁶

1. Strengthening internationally recognized standards (ISO 20688-2)
2. Promoting universal adoption by linking compliance to licensing and EU research funding
3. Enhancing international coordination with US, UK, WHO, and ASEAN frameworks
4. Phasing in enforceable and auditable screening standards across the EU single market

The submission was endorsed by the International Gene Synthesis Consortium (IGSC), European Synthetic Biology Society, Pandemic Action Network, and Pour Demain Belgium.⁶ IBBIS co-hosted a high-level roundtable at the European Parliament on biosecurity in the bioeconomy.²⁰

AI and Biosecurity

IBBIS participated in the February 2025 AI Action Summit in Paris, contributing to discussions on biosecurity implications of advancing AI capabilities for biological research.¹² This aligns with broader concerns about AI-enabled biological threats — see SecureBioSecurebioA biosecurity nonprofit applying the Delay/Detect/Defend framework to protect against catastrophic pandemics, including AI-enabled biological threats, through wastewater surveillance (Nucleic Acid ...Quality: 65/100 for complementary work on AI capability evaluations.

Leadership and Team

Executive Director

Leadership

PM

Piers Millett

Executive Director (Founding)

Dr. Piers Millett brings deep expertise in biosecurity governance. He served for over a decade with the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), including as Deputy Head and Acting Head of the Implementation Support Unit.¹¹ He holds a PhD in International Relations from the University of Bradford and a BSc in Microbiology from the University of Leeds, and is a Chartered Biologist.²¹ At the Future of Humanity InstituteOrganizationFuture of Humanity InstituteThe Future of Humanity Institute (2005-2024) was a pioneering Oxford research center that founded existential risk studies and AI alignment research, growing from 3 to ~50 researchers and receiving...Quality: 51/100, he focused on pandemic and deliberate disease risks and the implications of emerging biotechnology.²¹ He has also consulted for the World Health Organization on integrating R&D into responses to public health emergencies.¹¹

Staff

Name	Role	Location
Piers Millett	Executive Director	UK
Tessa Alexanian	Technical Lead, Common Mechanism	Canada / USA
Sophie Peresson	Technical Lead, International Standards	France
Rassin Lababidi	Technical Lead	Canada
Thomas Collin Lefebvre	Programme Manager	Netherlands / Canada
Mayra Ameneiros	Senior Fellow	Argentina
Michael Barnett	Bioinformatics Engineer	New Zealand
Manu Shivakumara	Senior Bioinformatics Engineer	Switzerland / India
Lucas Boldrini	Technical Consultant	Brazil / France
Edyth Parker	Biosecurity Game Changers Fellow	South Africa

Tessa Alexanian, Technical Lead for the Common Mechanism, previously worked at Zymergen on modular lab automation for four years and served as iGEM’s Safety and Security officer for two years. She has collaborated with Open PhilanthropyOpen PhilanthropyOpen Philanthropy rebranded to Coefficient Giving in November 2025. See the Coefficient Giving page for current information., RAND, and the Council on Strategic Risks.²²

Sophie Peresson, Technical Lead for International Standards, is a member of the International Gene Synthesis Consortium (IGSC), the OECD Synthetic Biology Working Party, and Pandemic Action Network.²³

Advisory Board

IBBIS maintains an international advisory board with members from Jordan, Georgia, the Netherlands, the United States, Pakistan, Germany, the Philippines, South Africa, India, Indonesia, and Trinidad and Tobago, including:⁴

• Angela Kane — Former Senior Advisor, Nuclear Threat Initiative
• Aamer Ikram — Chair and Strategic Advisor, Pakistan Academy of Sciences
• Iqbal Parker — Professor of Medical Biochemistry, University of Cape Town
• Luis Ochoa Carrera — Past President of ABSA (American Biological Safety Association)

Funding

Source	Amount	Purpose
Founders Pledge	$3,000,000	Launch funding for first three years of operations3
Paris Peace Forum	Programmatic support	Scale Up Program mentorship and strategy guidance5

Founders Pledge recommended unrestricted funding to IBBIS, citing the organization’s institutional pedigree (NTI | bio incubation) and leadership credibility (Millett’s BWC and FHI experience) as key factors supporting their confidence.³

Relationship to NTI | bio

IBBIS was incubated by NTI | bio, the biosecurity division of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, following a classic incubation-to-spinout model:⁷

1. 2019: NTI | bio and stakeholders identified the need for a dedicated biosecurity organization
2. 2019: NTI launched the International Technical Consortium for DNA Synthesis Screening with the World Economic Forum
3. 2020-2023: NTI | bio incubated IBBIS, developing tools and building the team
4. 2022: Piers Millett appointed as Executive Director
5. 2024: IBBIS launched as a fully independent Swiss foundation

IBBIS is now organizationally independent from NTI, though the relationship reflects NTI | bio’s broader biosecurity portfolio. Founders Pledge separately recommends NTI | bio as a high-impact biosecurity funder.³

Key Uncertainties

Key Questions (6)

• Can free open-source synthesis screening achieve adoption rates sufficient to meaningfully reduce misuse risk, given that only 15% of providers currently screen?
• Will international standards harmonization succeed across jurisdictions with different regulatory cultures and enforcement capacities?
• How will synthesis screening adapt to rapidly advancing AI capabilities that may enable novel biological threats beyond current screening databases?
• Can IBBIS scale its team and operations fast enough to meet the pace of biotechnology proliferation?
• Will the EU Biotech Act and similar regulations include enforceable biosecurity provisions, or will screening remain voluntary?
• How effective are customer screening approaches compared to sequence screening for preventing misuse?

Sources

Footnotes

1. Common Mechanism - IBBIS - Technical details and screening approach ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

2. About IBBIS - Founding, mission, headquarters, registration ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

3. Founders Pledge - IBBIS Recommendation - Funding assessment and $3M grant ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. IBBIS People - Staff and advisory board ↩ ↩²

5. NTI - IBBIS Accepted to Paris Peace Forum Scale Up Program - Accelerator program selection ↩ ↩² ↩³

6. IBBIS Calls for Biosecurity Provisions in EU Biotech Act - Policy advocacy ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

7. NTI - New International Biosecurity Organization Launched - Launch announcement ↩ ↩² ↩³

8. IBBIS Website - Vision and mission ↩

9. Common Mechanism FAQ - Privacy, open-source details ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

10. GitHub - ibbis-bio/common-mechanism - Open-source repository ↩

11. NTI - Dr. Piers Millett Named Director - Leadership appointment ↩ ↩² ↩³

12. IBBIS at the AI Action Summit - February 2025 participation ↩ ↩²

13. SBRC Launched - Sequence Biosecurity Risk Consortium ↩ ↩²

14. IBBIS Launches Technical Consortium - November 2025 DSSC launch ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

15. GitHub - ibbis-bio - Open-source repositories ↩

16. Common Mechanism Performance - Screening benchmarks ↩

17. International Screening Standards - IBBIS - Standards harmonization ↩

18. Global DNA Synthesis Map - IBBIS - Interactive mapping tool ↩ ↩²

19. Biosecurity Game Changers Fellowship - Brown University - Fellowship program ↩

20. EU Parliament Roundtable - IBBIS - Policy engagement ↩

21. Piers Millett - NTI Profile - Biography and credentials ↩ ↩²

22. Tessa Alexanian - IBBIS - Staff profile ↩

23. Sophie Peresson - IBBIS - Staff profile ↩