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Imperial has launched a new Biosecurity Network of Excellence to tackle growing threats to human, animal and plant health at a landmark conference – as the UK’s Security Minister warned of ‘complex and more frequent’ biosecurity risks.

The announcement came as global health and security leaders gathered for Biosecurity at the frontier conference – a major conference organised by Imperial looking at the widening gap between biological threats and humanity’s ability to detect and respond to them.

Hosted at the White City Deep Tech Campus, some of the world’s leading biosecurity experts, policymakers and industry innovators discussed how advances in AI-driven protein design, synthetic biology, and engineering biology have transformed the threat landscape and how to address rising public health threats - such as pandemics, biological weapons, and attacks on food systems.

The Biosecurity Network of Excellence, announced at the conference, will build on decades of expertise at the university across health, engineering and technology.

"By establishing a new Biosecurity Network of Excellence at Imperial, we are supporting our researchers to move faster to close the gap between the threats we face and our ability to meet them." Professor Hugh Brady President of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½

Professor Hugh Brady, President of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½, said: “At Imperial, we have a proud history of delivering real-world solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems – through cutting-edge science and research, partnerships and harnessing our unique convening power.

“That’s why we have brought together some of the world’s leading researchers, policymakers, industry experts and research funders to our Biosecurity at the frontier conference, to share expertise and accelerate partnership working for the public good.

“By establishing a new Biosecurity Network of Excellence at Imperial, we are supporting our researchers to move faster to close the gap between the threats we face and our ability to meet them."

Imperial’s multi-faculty Networks of Excellence aim to develop connections around critical multidisciplinary areas and support cross-faculty research tackling big societal challenges.

The Biosecurity Network of Excellence will be structured around three key themes:

• Threats – Understanding the full spectrum of biological risks, from naturally occurring hazards to intentional synthetic threats, AI-enabled threat creation and food security challenges. 
• Surveillance - Developing rapid, pathogen-agnostic diagnostics and detection capabilities, bridging biology, chemistry and engineering, while also considering the ethical concerns that come with collecting and analysing biosecurity data. 
• Response – Investigating rapid deployment technologies, sovereign manufacturing capability, broad-application therapeutics and supply chain resilience, so health officials can respond to threats at scale and pace.

The network will be initially shaped by an academic steering group led by researchers who have been involved with the Biosecurity at the frontier conference.

Security Minister Dan Jarvis speaking to the Biosecurity at the frontier conference via a video message

The launch of the network came as the UK’s Security Minister warned the world is facing ‘more complex, more frequent and more interconnected’ biosecurity threats.

"Biological threats are becoming more complex, more frequent and more interconnected. To protect our people means rigorous preparedness, planning and partnership from those in government, industry, academia and our international partners." Dan Jarvis UK Minister of State for Security

In a message to the conference, Minister of State for Security Dan Jarvis urged policymakers, researchers and industry experts to better work together to keep the public safe from emerging threats.

Minister Jarvis said: “In 2026 alone, we've seen biological threats claim lives. The meningitis B outbreak in Kent, the spread of hantavirus on a cruise ship, the current Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, and, of course, the discovery that Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a novel dart frog toxin. 

“The threats are becoming more complex, more frequent and more interconnected. To protect our people means rigorous preparedness, planning and partnership from those in government, industry, academia and our international partners.”

Biosecurity has become a growing concern for policymakers globally - with scientific breakthroughs, AI-enabled discovery and industrial innovations combining to present new threats, while also creating new opportunities for human health. 

The conference provided an opportunity for leading researchers, policymakers, industry leaders and research funders to consider the actions needed to strengthen global biosecurity. Panels and talks at the event focused on building the frameworks, partnership, and capabilities required to reduce the risks from biological hazards. 

Professor Susan Hopkins, CEO of the (UKHSA), said: “The UK and the world face an increasingly complex biosecurity landscape - from evolving pathogens found in nature to new technologies being used for harmful ends.

“Staying ahead of these threats requires close collaboration between policymakers, researchers and industry, and we are grateful to Imperial for providing an opportunity to address how we can meet this challenge head on.”

Imperial’s unique convening power

Imperial is uniquely placed to convene on biosecurity issues through its strengths in disease surveillance, synthetic biology, AI risk, and countermeasures development. 

In recent years, the university’s response to COVID-19 covered the full health emergency, building on decades of expertise and capability, including:

• epidemiological models estimating transmissibility and confirming human-to-human transmission 
• 15 major clinical trials 
• a self-amplifying RNA vaccine candidate 
• the world's first COVID-19 human challenge study 
• the REACT population surveillance programme which gave the UK Government real-time insights for the epidemic

Imperial is also a trusted collaborator for global biosecurity projects and an active partner to the (CEPI) and the (WHO).  

The university's researchers advise governments, multilateral bodies, and health agencies across multiple continents, while its four Imperial Global hubs in the USA, Singapore, India, and Ghana provide a potential presence for on-the-ground work in regions critical to pandemic preparedness.

The Biosecurity at the frontier conference saw panels and remarks with expert speakers from CEPI, the UK Health Security Agency, NATO, the European Commission and the UK Government, alongside researchers from Imperial’s biosecurity community.

Speaking at the event, Amanda Wolthuizen, Vice-President, Communications and Strategic Engagement at Imperial, said: “This conference was more than just sharing expertise, it was about challenging our thinking and creating new partnerships where we can all contribute to addressing biosecurity threats and optimising opportunities. 

“The Biosecurity Network of Excellence will provide leadership, structure and support for collaboration across a range of disciplines in response to the critical research and innovation challenges that we’ve been discussing.” 

Identifying emerging threats

Imperial’s combination of state-of-the-art facilities and world-leading researchers means the university is already playing an important role in examining and addressing emerging biological threats. 

In South Kensington, Imperial runs one of the largest academic high containment lab spaces in Europe, allowing for the important study of pathogens which may emerge as threats to human health. 

Pandemic preparedness hinges on scientists being able to predict which pathogens are most likely to infect humans, as many of the viruses that make humans ill start as viruses which only infect animals. Climate change and human activities, such as deforestation and high-intensity animal agriculture, are increasing the risk of such diseases jumping into humans.

, Regius Professor of Infectious Disease at Imperial, said: “To stay ahead of threats, we need to be able to predict which pathogens are most likely to become a problem and learn as much about them as we can. However, studying viruses with pandemic potential in the laboratory comes with risks. 

“We need funders, regulators and researchers from around the world to agree on global guardrails for this research. Good practice should be international and universal, and the UK, with its cautious yet open approach, can offer a blueprint for how to manage these risks. 

“UK science must seize the opportunity to lead the world in this area – in both enhancing scientific research safely, and protecting human and animal health from future disease outbreaks.” 

Professor Wendy Barclay speaking at the conference

At the White City Deep Tech Campus, the provides a hub for academic collaborators and industrial clients specialising in the design, engineering and functional characterisation of synthetic DNA and organisms, while Imperial’s Environment Research Group is a leading provider of air and water quality information and research in the UK.

• Researchers and collaborators who want to join or contribute to the Biosecurity Network of Excellence at Imperial should contact [ADD DETAILS]