Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense

What Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense does

The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense is a privately funded, bipartisan policy advisory organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., established in 2014 (originally as the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense, renamed in 2019). It assesses the state of U.S. biodefense and issues policy recommendations to strengthen the nation's defenses against pandemics, bioterrorism, and biological warfare. Its core products include the National Blueprint for Biodefense (36 recommendations and 185 action items), the Apollo Program for Biodefense (a 10-year initiative aimed at eliminating pandemics), B-SPAN (an interactive tool launched July 2024 mapping 500+ federal entities and 150 Congressional committees involved in biodefense), the Germ Warfare graphic novel (produced with author Max Brooks), the Biollywood Podcast, and a portfolio of special-focus reports on biodetection, critical infrastructure, and diagnostics.

The Commission's governance rests on a bipartisan roster of former high-level policymakers, currently co-chaired by former Governor Tom Ridge (first DHS Secretary) and former HHS Secretary Donna Shalala, with commissioners including former Members of Congress and senior ex-officials such as Kenneth Wainstein, Anna Eshoo, Fred Upton, Susan Brooks, Peggy Hamburg, and Raj Panjabi. Day-to-day operations are run by a small core staff led by Executive Director Dr. Asha M. George. The organization engages directly with Congressional committees through testimony and briefings, and with the Executive Branch through reports and recommendations targeting DHS, HHS, DoD, USDA, CDC, and FDA. In September 2025, the Commission joined the Atlantic Council as an initiative within the Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, expanding its institutional platform.

The Commission does not sell products or services. It is funded almost entirely by private grants — primarily from Open Philanthropy, which has contributed over $13 million cumulatively across at least five grant cycles since 2016 — supplemented by sponsors and donors. All reports, the B-SPAN tool, podcasts, and graphic novel are distributed free of charge via the Commission's website and earned media channels. The Commission's 'customers' in an outcome sense are U.S. federal policymakers, with measurable influence on legislation and appropriations, including the National Biodefense Strategy and the Biden Administration's $88.2 billion pandemic preparedness budget.

Name

Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense

Legal name

Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense

Website

https://biodefensecommission.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy Advisory

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Biothreat/Biocontainment & Select Agent Public Health Laboratories (HLAJAIAL)

Keywords

• Biodefense policy advisory
• National security policy
• Pandemic preparedness
• Public health security
• Biodefense recommendations

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Grants and Donations: The Commission is privately funded through grants from organizations such as Open Philanthropy. Open Philanthropy has provided multiple grants totaling over $13 million since 2016, including a $5.2 million grant and a $1.35 million grant. The Commission also accepts donations from sponsors.
2. Donations and Sponsorships: The Commission maintains a 'Support Us' page soliciting contributions and lists sponsors and donors on its website. Revenue is used to fund the Commission's operations, reports, public meetings, and public awareness campaigns.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense is a privately funded policy advisory organization that conducts comprehensive assessments of the U.S. biodefense enterprise and issues recommendations to strengthen federal biodefense policy. It produces a portfolio of policy reports (including the National Blueprint for Biodefense, Apollo Program for Biodefense, and The Athena Agenda), an interactive web-based mapping tool (B-SPAN), educational media (Germ Warfare graphic novel and Biollywood Podcast), and convenes public meetings with federal officials, industry, and academia to drive legislative and executive branch action on biological threats.

Product overview

The Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense is a privately funded policy advisory organization established in 2014 that provides comprehensive assessment of U.S. biodefense efforts and issues recommendations to foster change. Rather than a unified software product, the Commission offers a portfolio of intellectual products including policy reports (National Blueprint for Biodefense with 36 recommendations), major initiatives (Apollo Program for Biodefense aiming to eliminate pandemics in 10 years), interactive tools (B-SPAN mapping federal biodefense entities), educational media (Germ Warfare graphic novel with Max Brooks, Biollywood Podcast), and ongoing publications addressing various biodefense topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Blueprint for Biodefense Comprehensive policy report with 36 recommendations and 185 action items to strengthen federal policies and address gaps in national biodefense capabilities against biological incidents. It is targeted at the U.S. Congress, Executive Branch, and federal departments.
• Apollo Program for Biodefense Ambitious 10-year program modeled after the Apollo moon mission, designed to eliminate pandemics and empower the nation to lead technologically in combatting all biological threats. Includes a public awareness campaign with a 30-second PSA, suggested social media content, and a digital toolkit for stakeholders.
• B-SPAN (Biodefense Strategy, Policy, and Analysis Network) First-of-its-kind interactive web-based tool mapping over 500 federal entities and 150 Congressional committees and sub-committees that comprise the nation's biodefense enterprise. Available separately for both Executive and Legislative branches. Targeted at policymakers, researchers, and the general public seeking to understand the U.S. biodefense governance structure.
• Germ Warfare: A Very Graphic History Engaging graphic novel developed with author Max Brooks depicting previous biological warfare events and possibilities for future threats, designed to make technical biodefense information accessible to a wide audience. Available in PDF, audio, and audiovisual formats.
• Biollywood Podcast Podcast series examining biological weapons, accidents, and naturally occurring pandemics, featuring expert analysis and scenario exploration to make biodefense topics engaging for broad audiences.
• Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense Reports Portfolio Collection of policy reports and special focus studies including A National Blueprint for Biodefense, Biodefense in Crisis, Saving Sisyphus (Advanced Biodetection), Insidious Scourge (Critical Infrastructure), The Athena Agenda, and Promote the Antidote (Reducing the Risk from Toxins), addressing various biodefense topics for policymakers and stakeholders.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Commission's recommendations influenced the requirement for a National Biodefense Strategy, which was signed into law by President Obama, produced by the Trump Administration, and revised by the Biden Administration.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Atlantic Council (Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2025In September 2025, the Commission joined the Atlantic Council as an initiative within the Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. This transition positions the Commission within a major international policy institution, expanding its reach and institutional support while maintaining its bipartisan identity.
• Max Brooks (Author)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Max Brooks, author of World War Z, partnered with the Commission to create 'Germ Warfare: A Very Graphic History' — an engaging graphic novel depicting historical biological warfare events and future possibilities. The graphic novel has been distributed as PDF, audio, and audiovisual content and won a Telly Award.
• Erly Stage StudiosminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2020Erly Stage Studios, a British firm, designed and produced the graphic novel Germ Warfare: A Very Graphic History for the Commission, handling the creative production and design work.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hudson Institute: Hudson Institute is a policy research organization with active programs on biosecurity and pandemic preparedness in addition to broader foreign-policy and economic work. It is comparable as a Washington-based policy body producing federal policy recommendations on biological threats.
• Center for a New American Security (CNAS): CNAS is a bipartisan national-security think tank producing policy recommendations across defense, technology, and biosecurity. It overlaps with the Commission's bipartisan-policymaker model and its production of policy outputs targeting federal biodefense and homeland-security agendas.
• Council on Foreign Relations (CFR): CFR is an established, nonpartisan policy institution that convenes senior officials and produces reports on global health security, biosecurity, and pandemic preparedness. It overlaps with the Commission's function as a convener and policy-content producer for federal decision-makers.
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): CSIS is a major bipartisan Washington think tank with substantial work on biosecurity, health security, and global health policy alongside a broader international-security portfolio. It is comparable as a senior-policymaker-led advisory body producing recommendations for Congress and the Executive Branch.

Direct peers

• Georgetown Center for Global Health Science and Security: Georgetown's Center for Global Health Science and Security conducts policy research, convenes stakeholders, and advises governments on pandemic preparedness, biosecurity, and global health governance. It overlaps with the Commission's role analyzing biodefense governance and producing recommendations for federal agencies and Congress.
• Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security: The Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security is an academic policy center that produces original research, policy recommendations, and convenings on pandemics, biosecurity, and public health preparedness. It is the closest substantive peer to the Commission's biodefense advisory mission and shares a similar role advising federal policymakers on biological threats.
• Federation of American Scientists (FAS): FAS is a nonprofit policy organization that produces technical analysis and policy recommendations on biosecurity, nuclear security, and emerging-technology risks. Its biosecurity program provides a directly comparable model of a science-driven, donor-funded advisory body shaping U.S. biological-threat policy.
• Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI): NTI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan global security organization whose biosecurity program works to reduce catastrophic biological risks through policy recommendations, international convenings, and industry partnerships. It is directly comparable to the Commission as a privately funded biosecurity advisory body producing reports that shape federal and international biodefense policy.
• Brown University Pandemic Center: The Brown University Pandemic Center is an interdisciplinary research and policy center focused on pandemic preparedness, biological threats, and public health response. Like the Commission, it produces policy outputs intended to inform federal biodefense strategy and convenes government and academic stakeholders.

Others

• Atlantic Council (Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security): The Atlantic Council is the Commission's institutional home as of September 2025, providing venue, convening, and international-policy reach through its Scowcroft Center. It is included as an institutional partner rather than a competitor, given that the Commission operates as an initiative within it.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/biodefensecomm
• Facebookfacebook.com/BiodefenseCommission
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/15245210

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense