NIH Releases Draft Biosafety Policy for Research Involving Biohazards for Comment

On August 19, 2026, NIH released for public comment a Draft Biosafety Policy for Research Involving Biohazards for public comment. When finalized, the policy will replace the current NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant or Synthetic Nucleic Acid Molecules.

The draft policy would continue to apply to biomedical research occurring in laboratory settings at institutions conducting NIH-supported research. However, it proposes to expand the scope of oversight to include wild type agents and other possible biohazards.

The draft policy also provides a risk-based framework that would allow institutions to allocate their resources more effectively by removing red tape for lower-risk research.  Additionally, the policy aims to strengthen Institutional Biosafety Committees, reinforce consistency with Institutional Review Boards and Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees, and ensure that biosafety oversight is transparent, adaptive, and accountable. 

NIH is currently seeking comments on the draft proposal and invites all stakeholders to provide feedback electronically here. Comments will be accepted until October 19, 2026. 

Additional resources:

• NIH's Biosafety Modernization Initiative
• NOT-OD-26-112 - Request for Comment: Draft NIH Biosafety Policy for Research Involving Biohazards