Action Requested: Review and Provide Feedback on Draft NIH Biosafety Policy for Research Involving Biohazards
Dear Colleagues,
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has released the Draft NIH Biosafety Policy for Research Involving Biohazards and is seeking public comment through October 19, 2026. The proposed policy would replace the current NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules and establish a broader framework for oversight of research involving biological hazards.
Drexel is planning on submitting an institutional comment since the draft policy would significantly affect research oversight, Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) review processes, incident reporting requirements, transparency obligations, and investigator responsibilities. To help inform our institutional comment, we are gathering feedback from our research community. Please refer to the Draft Policy Table of Changes [PDF].
Could This Affect Your Research?
The proposed policy may apply to research involving:
- Wild-type biological agents that cause disease in humans
- Genetically modified cells, viruses, or organisms (other than plants)
- Toxins, prions, and other self-aggregating proteins
- Cells or organisms containing any of the above materials
Who Should Participate?
We encourage feedback from:
- Principal Investigators
- Co-Investigators
- Laboratory Directors and laboratory personnel
- Study teams
- Animal research personnel
- Clinical research personnel
- Graduate students and postdoctoral researchers working with biohazardous materials
- Professional staff
- IBC members
What You Can Do
Complete the Drexel Biosafety Survey
Your feedback will help Drexel:
- Evaluate how the proposed policy may affect ongoing and future research activities
- Assess impacts on biosafety oversight and compliance processes
- Understand training, staffing, and infrastructure needs
- Develop consolidated comments on behalf of the Drexel research community
The survey takes approximately 5-7 minutes to complete and will remain open until October 13, 2026.
Learn More and Stay Informed
Drexel has created a dedicated webpage to help researchers understand the proposed Draft NIH Biosafety Policy for Research Involving Biohazards, including summaries of key policy changes, potential impacts on research activities, frequently asked questions, and updates on Drexel's implementation planning efforts. The site also provides links to NIH resources and additional guidance as it becomes available.
Researchers are encouraged to review the webpage before completing the survey or submitting comments to NIH. The page highlights major proposed changes, including the expanded scope of research covered, new Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) responsibilities, enhanced incident reporting requirements, and increased transparency expectations.
Visit the Drexel information page
Please bookmark this site, as Drexel will continue to update it with implementation guidance, training opportunities, submission requirements, and other resources as NIH moves toward a final policy decision.
If you have questions regarding biosafety review requirements or the proposed policy, please contact the Institutional Biosafety Committee Office at biosafety@drexel.edu.
Thank you for helping ensure Drexel's feedback reflects the perspectives of our research community.