NTI | bio (Nuclear Threat Initiative - Biological Program)

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Quick Assessment

Dimension	Assessment	Evidence
Focus Area	Global catastrophic biological risk reduction	DNA synthesis screening, BWC strengthening, AI-bio risks, international governance¹
Funding	Well-funded by EA sources + traditional philanthropy	>$29M identified from Open Philanthropy across multiple grants; NTI parent org founded with $250M from Ted Turner²³
Policy Influence	Very high	Endorsed Biosecurity Modernization and Innovation Act of 2026; active at BWC meetings; launched IBBIS in Geneva⁴⁵
Team	Experienced national security leadership	Led by former White House NSC, DoD, and FDA officials⁶
Key Output	IBBIS, Global Health Security Index, Bio Funders Compact	Spawned an independent international biosecurity org; benchmarks 195 countries⁷⁸
Key Concern	Leadership transition period	VP Jaime Yassif stepped down end of 2025; NTI-wide CEO transition to Christine Wormuth⁹¹⁰

Overview

NTI | bio (stylized as “NTI | bio”) is the Global Biological Policy and Programs division of the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a nonprofit, nonpartisan global security organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. NTI was founded in January 2001 by former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn and CNN founder/philanthropist Ted Turner, who pledged $250 million to support the organization.³

While NTI is best known for its nuclear security work, the biological program has become one of the most influential institutional actors in the biosecurity field. NTI | bio works to reduce global catastrophic biological risks through four strategic approaches:¹¹

Preventing misuse of biotechnology by individuals or groups
Identifying urgent solutions for preventing and responding to high-consequence biological events
Addressing root causes of bioweapons development by states and sophisticated actors
Enhancing political will among government and private sector leaders

Open Philanthropy identifies NTI | bio as among the “highest-impact biosecurity organizations” in the world.² Founders Pledge has recommended NTI | bio as a high-impact giving opportunity in the biosecurity space.¹²

History

NTI Founding (2001)

The Nuclear Threat Initiative was announced at the National Press Club on January 8, 2001, by Sam Nunn, Ted Turner, and former Deputy Secretary of Energy Charles B. Curtis. Turner’s concern that “the threat from nuclear weapons had fallen off most people’s radar screens after the end of the Cold War” motivated the founding. The organization initially focused on nuclear threats but expanded its mandate to include biological and emerging technology threats.³

Building NTI | bio (2016-2020)

Beth Cameron, Ph.D., joined NTI in 2017 to lead the biological policy program. Cameron had previously served as Senior Director for Global Health Security and Biodefense on the White House National Security Council, where she helped develop and launch the Global Health Security Agenda. Under her leadership, NTI | bio received its first major Open Philanthropy grant of $6 million in 2018 to develop new initiatives to curb global catastrophic biological risks.⁶¹³

Cameron later departed to serve in the Biden-Harris administration’s National Security Council.¹⁴

Jaime Yassif Era (2018-2025)

Jaime Yassif, Ph.D., was named Vice President of Global Biological Policy and Programs. During her tenure, she recommended and managed approximately $40 million in biosecurity grants, which she described as having “rebuilt the field.” Key accomplishments under her leadership included:⁹

Development of new biosecurity programming at leading think tanks
Establishment of the Global Health Security Index
Launch of the International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS)
Creation of the Bio Funders Compact with CEPI
Expansion of the AIxBio Forum addressing AI-biology convergence risks

Yassif stepped down from her VP role at the end of 2025 and continues as a Senior Advisor/consultant to NTI.⁹

Leadership Transition (2025-Present)

In late 2025, NTI underwent a significant leadership transition. Ernest Moniz, who had served as CEO since 2017 (succeeding Nunn), stepped down alongside President and COO Joan Rohlfing. Christine E. Wormuth, who served as the 25th Secretary of the U.S. Army (the first woman to hold the position), became NTI’s third President and CEO effective November 17, 2025. Moniz remains as Co-Chair of the Board alongside Nunn and Turner.¹⁰

Key Programs and Initiatives

International Biosecurity and Biosafety Initiative for Science (IBBIS)

IBBIS is an independent organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, that NTI | bio established and launched in 2024. IBBIS is dedicated to strengthening international biosecurity norms and developing innovative tools to prevent misuse of biotechnology.⁵

IBBIS’s initial focus is on preventing misuse of DNA synthesis technology. Its first major product is the Common Mechanism, a software tool enabling DNA synthesis providers to screen orders and customers to ensure that the building blocks of dangerous pathogens do not reach malicious actors. This addresses a critical gap: according to the Global Health Security Index, 94% of countries have no national-level oversight measures for dual-use research.⁵⁷

Global Health Security Index (GHS Index)

Launched in 2019, the GHS Index is the first comprehensive assessment of health security capabilities across 195 countries. Developed in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and The Economist Intelligence Unit, and funded by a $3.56 million Open Philanthropy grant, the Index tracks international pandemic preparedness, assesses compliance with international standards, and identifies capability gaps.⁷¹⁵

Bio Funders Compact

Launched in 2024 at the Global Health Security Conference in Sydney, Australia, the Bio Funders Compact is a partnership between NTI | bio and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). The Compact incorporates biosecurity considerations into the bioscience research funding process, aiming to ensure that life science research funding includes safeguards against accidental or intentional misuse.⁸

Next Generation for Biosecurity

This program develops cohorts of early-career professionals (ages 18-35) in biosecurity and supports their active participation in high-profile international meetings, including the Biological Weapons Convention and Global Health Security Network Conference. The program runs annual competitions and delegation programs, building a network of next-generation biosecurity leaders.¹⁶

AIxBio Global Forum

NTI | bio convened the first International AI-Bio Forum in 2024, bringing together biosecurity professionals, AI experts, and policymakers from organizations including Anthropic and Google DeepMind, as well as representatives from China, India, Nigeria, the U.K., and the U.S. The Forum addresses risks at the convergence of artificial intelligence and the life sciences, where AI agents are “progressing rapidly in their ability to understand scientific literature, generate hypotheses, design experiments, and interpret data.”¹⁷

Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) Strengthening

NTI | bio is a leading non-governmental voice for strengthening the BWC, the international treaty banning biological weapons. Key activities include:⁴

Hosting side events at BWC working group sessions
Convening experts to enhance transparency measures for bioscience research
Proposing tech-driven solutions to modernize BWC compliance
Championing improved confidence-building measures to reduce suspicion between states
Supporting the establishment of internationally recognized assessment processes modeled after Joint External Evaluations

Biosecurity Innovation and Risk Reduction Initiative (BIRRI)

Launched in 2018 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, BIRRI is a multi-year project that identifies, develops, and promotes concrete actions to reduce global catastrophic biological risks associated with technology advances. This initiative spawned IBBIS and continues to serve as a platform for developing biosecurity innovation.¹⁸

Africa CDC Partnership

NTI | bio partnered with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to build biosafety and biosecurity capacity across multiple African regions. The partnership organized training programs for experts across Eastern, Western, Central, Northern, and Southern Africa, reaching hundreds of professionals from dozens of countries.¹⁹

Policy Advocacy

Biosecurity Modernization and Innovation Act of 2026

NTI endorsed this bipartisan legislation led by Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN). The Act would:²⁰

Require DNA synthesis screening: Gene synthesis providers must screen orders and customers for dangerous pathogens
Establish an innovation hub: Brings together commercial, academic, and government stakeholders to develop biosecurity-by-design solutions
Create a governance sandbox at NIST: Enables testing of biosecurity tools and flexible policymaking
Strengthen federal oversight: Streamlines oversight of dual-use bioscience and biotechnology R&D

Leadership and Key Personnel

Current and Former Leadership

Christine E. Wormuth

NTI President & CEO (Nov 2025-present)

Sam Nunn

NTI Co-Founder & Board Co-Chair

Ted Turner

NTI Co-Founder & Board Co-Chair

Ernest J. Moniz

NTI Board Co-Chair (former CEO 2017-2025)

Jaime Yassif, Ph.D.

Senior Advisor (former VP, NTI | bio, through 2025)

Beth Cameron, Ph.D.

Former VP, NTI | bio

Margaret Hamburg, M.D.

Chair, NTI | bio Advisory Group

NTI | bio Advisory Group

The Advisory Group is chaired by Dr. Margaret Hamburg, former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The group provides strategic guidance on NTI | bio’s work to reduce global catastrophic biological risks.²¹

Funding

Grant	Amount	Period	Purpose
Biosecurity Program Support	$6,000,000	2018 (3 years)	Initial biosecurity program development¹³
Global Health Security Index	$3,556,773	2018 (2 years)	GHS Index with Johns Hopkins and EIU¹⁵
GCBR Reduction Projects	$1,904,942	2019 (3 years)	Projects to reduce global catastrophic biological risks²²
Biosecurity Program Support	$8,000,000	Feb 2020 (3 years)	Biosecurity program expansion²³
COVID-19 Biosecurity	$500,000	2020	Support for NTI’s COVID-19 work²⁴
GCBR Reduction	$1,250,000	2021 (2 years)	Work on reducing global catastrophic biological risks²⁵
Biosecurity Program Support	$7,831,500	2023 (3 years)	Gene synthesis safeguards, BWC strengthening, field building²
Total identified	>$29,043,215

Other Funding Sources

NTI’s parent organization receives funding from diverse sources including foundations, governments, and individual donors. Ted Turner’s initial $250 million pledge provided the organization’s foundational capital. NTI publishes annual financial reports and impact reports on its website.²⁶

Relationship to AI Safety and the EA Community

NTI | bio sits at the intersection of traditional security policy and the effective altruism biosecurity community. Several connections are notable:

Open Philanthropy has been NTI | bio’s largest identified funder for biosecurity work, directing over $29 million toward the program
Founders Pledge has recommended NTI | bio as a high-impact biosecurity charity¹²
NTI | bio’s work on AI-bio convergence through the AIxBio Forum directly addresses concerns about AI systems enabling biological threats, connecting to broader AI misuse risk frameworks
The Next Generation for Biosecurity program has been promoted in EA career communities including 80,000 Hours
NTI | bio’s DNA synthesis screening work (via IBBIS) complements SecureBio’s SecureDNA initiative
Jaime Yassif appeared on the 80,000 Hours podcast to discuss “safeguarding bioscience to prevent catastrophic lab accidents and bioweapons development”²⁷

Criticisms and Limitations

Leadership Turnover

The simultaneous departure of both the NTI CEO (Moniz) and the NTI | bio VP (Yassif) in 2025 creates uncertainty about program continuity and strategic direction during a critical period for biosecurity policy.

Traditional Security Orientation

NTI’s roots in nuclear threat reduction mean the organization approaches biological risks primarily through a state security and international governance lens. This may underweight non-state actor risks and emerging technology threats that don’t fit traditional arms control frameworks.

Institutional Speed vs. Technology Pace

International governance mechanisms like the BWC and the Global Health Security Agenda operate on multi-year timescales, while advances in AI and biotechnology are accelerating rapidly. NTI | bio’s emphasis on institutional solutions faces the challenge of keeping pace with technological change.

Key Uncertainties

Key Questions (5)

Will NTI | bio maintain its strategic direction and Open Philanthropy funding through the 2025 leadership transition?
Can IBBIS's Common Mechanism for DNA synthesis screening achieve widespread international adoption before benchtop synthesis devices become prevalent?
Will the BWC strengthening process produce meaningful compliance mechanisms, or remain aspirational?
How effectively can the AIxBio Forum translate into binding governance for AI-biology convergence risks?
Does the Biosecurity Modernization and Innovation Act of 2026 have realistic prospects for passage?

Sources

NTI | bio Program Page - Program overview ↩
Open Philanthropy - NTI Biosecurity Program Support 2023 - $7.83M grant ↩ ↩² ↩³
Nuclear Threat Initiative - Wikipedia - Founding history ↩ ↩² ↩³
NTI at the BWC: Urging Collective Action - BWC engagement ↩ ↩²
IBBIS Program Page - IBBIS overview ↩ ↩² ↩³
Beth Cameron Joins NTI - Cameron appointment ↩ ↩²
Global Health Security Index - GHS Index overview ↩ ↩² ↩³
Bio Funders Compact - Compact launch ↩ ↩²
Jaime Yassif NTI Profile - Role and background ↩ ↩² ↩³
NTI Board Announces 2025 Leadership Transition - Wormuth appointment ↩ ↩²
Founders Pledge - NTI Bio Assessment - Strategic approach ↩
Founders Pledge - Biosecurity Recommendations - Charity recommendation ↩ ↩²
Open Philanthropy $6M Grant to NTI - Initial major grant ↩ ↩²
Statement on Beth Cameron Appointment to Biden-Harris NSC - Cameron departure ↩
Open Philanthropy - NTI Global Health Security Index - GHS Index grant ↩ ↩²
Next Generation for Biosecurity - Program overview ↩
AIxBio Global Forum - Forum overview ↩
Biosecurity Innovation and Risk Reduction Initiative - BIRRI overview ↩
NTI | bio and Africa CDC Partnership - Africa partnership ↩
NTI Endorses Biosecurity Modernization and Innovation Act of 2026 - Legislative endorsement ↩
Margaret Hamburg NTI Profile - Advisory group chair ↩
Open Philanthropy - NTI GCBR Projects - GCBR grant ↩
Open Philanthropy - NTI Biosecurity Support Feb 2020 - $8M grant ↩
Open Philanthropy - NTI Biosecurity Support - COVID grant ↩
Open Philanthropy - NTI GCBR Reduction 2021 - 2021 grant ↩
NTI Financials - Financial transparency ↩
80,000 Hours Podcast - Jaime Yassif - Podcast interview ↩