A further concern with respect to biomedical research is the issue of dual-use technology development for health benefi ts as well as for possible bioweapons. Governments must balance the secrecy necessary for security with the need for disclosure of information that is essential for research and development in health. It is very diffi cult to sequester new knowledge that might be applied to building biological weapons without simultaneously impeding research on defense against those bioweapons and on other benefi cial biomedical advances. Most BIG Project scientists agree that the benefi ts of releasing scientifi c information in general outweigh the risk of its misuse. However, the scientifi c community needs to consider whether new codes of conduct are necessary or whether existing governance is suffi cient to support a bioethical approach to research on possible dualuse technologies.