Independent Biosecurity Contractors
February 2026
Nucleic acid governance
We engaged independent contractors to support the early development of BioTrust, a proposed third-party verification system for the bioeconomy. BioTrust would function as a passport for researchers accessing dual-use biotechnology services, such as AI models, synthetic nucleic acids, and cloud labs, by centralizing identity verification and Know-Your-Customer (KYC) checks to ensure consistency across individual providers.
These contractors will conduct foundational research, stakeholder outreach, and technical scoping over a 10-week exploratory period. Their goals include building an initial coalition of supporters across AI labs, synthesis providers, and academic institutions; conducting exploratory conversations with providers and university procurement offices; and developing a prototype of the verification API.