Strengthening Biological Safety in Research at Drexel University

October is Biosafety and Biosecurity Month, which is a time to reflect on and reinforce our shared commitment to fostering a safe and compliant research environment. As the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is working on initiatives to modernize and strengthen biosafety oversight and improve transparency of research involving recombinant and synthetic nucleic acids, we, too, are working to ensure our biomedical research is being conducted with the highest possible safety.

As part of efforts to achieve this goal, we are launching a campus-wide survey to identify all biosafety agents currently in use across the University’s research laboratories. This initiative is designed to ensure that all applicable research is properly reviewed and approved by the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) and is in alignment with federal [PDF] and institutional [PDF] requirements. Information collected through this survey will also help prepare the Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) and the IBC for the implementation of the biosafety module in the Novelution Research Management System, set to be incorporated in the latter half of 2026.

This mandatory survey will be distributed through BioRAFT within the next few weeks. Once the survey is available, an email will be sent with further instructions on how to complete the survey. All researchers will be required to complete the survey by the deadline specified in the instructions once it is released. Your participation is essential to maintaining a safe research environment and ensuring institutional compliance with federal guidelines.

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Environmental Health and Radiation Safety (EHRS) at ehrs@drexel.edu.

Thank you for your cooperation and commitment to biosafety.

Aleister Saunders
Executive Vice Provost for Research & Innovation
Office of Research & Innovation