Study title

The Biochemical Security Project is focused on examining and improving upon current capacities to identify and respond to scientific and Technological challenges which may undermine the existing bio-chemical non-proliferation regime. This regime incorporates international organisations, as well as national and local level capacities. At international level our project has produced a series of reports which have made recommendations directed at diplomats involved in the Biological and Chemical Weapons Conventions. These recommendations have focused on specific challenges which are driven by development in Science and technology. This includes for example security concerns raised by the field of synthetic biology as well as the continued development called 'less-than-lethal' weapon technologies, and weapon delivery systems which are relevant to the biological and chemical weapon conventions. In addition papers in our series have also assessed the current processes of Science and technology review within the two conventions. As part of the project, the project team attended the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention Meeting of States Parties (MS) and Meeting of Experts (MX) as well as the same for the Chemical Weapons Convention. Data is in the form of qualitative reports on documents presented at the meetings in 2013 and 2014.A major security concern in the area of low probability, high-impact events over coming decades will be advances in life and associated sciences and the technologies that will enable the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons (CBW) to sub-state groups as well as to states. Furthermore, such weapons could be of novel types that the intended targets could not be easily defended against. In response to these challenges the UK has played a leading role in enabling states parties to the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) and the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) to have specific measures available by which the chemical and...