MITRE Corporation

We provided $188,421 to the MITRE Corporation to propose mechanisms for aggregating data across the nucleic acid synthesis industry. This effort aims to address the “split-order problem,” where nefarious actors might circumvent biosecurity protocols by ordering nucleic acid fragments that are short enough to fall below screening thresholds. We expect MITRE to compare different operating models for such a system, such as a government-mandated reporting system or an industry-led data-sharing initiative.

We also expect this project to answer critical questions regarding the technical, legal, and operational prerequisites for a cross-provider data aggregation mechanism, such as how to securely share sensitive data with implications for customer privacy and intellectual property.