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( ./- 11111>} National Institutes of Health U.S. Public Health Service 

~:;j Bethesda, Maryland 20892 

Office of Science Policy 

National Institutes of Health 

6705 Rockledge Drive 

Suite 750, MSC 7985 

Bethesda, MD 20892-7985 

(301) 496-9838 (Phone) 

(301) 496-9839 (Fax) 

http://osp.nih.gov 

Date: October 1, 2015 

From: Carrie D. Wolinetz, Ph.D., Associate Director for Science Policy, NIH 

To: Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) Chairs 

Biological Safety Officers (BS Os) 

Contacts for IBCs 

Subject: Participation in National Biosafety Stewardship Month 

The National Institutes of Health is pleased to announce October 2015 as National Biosafety 

Stewardship Month. As a reminder, National Biosafety Stewardship Month is a period during 

which institutions are encouraged to reinforce their attention to biosafety policies, practices and 

procedures. Last year, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched National Biosafety 

Stewardship Month to promote institutional awareness of and commitment to biosafety policies, 

practices, and procedures. NIH leadership was impressed by the multitude of activities 

institutions engaged in during the month, such as implementing new training materials, hosting 

town hall meetings focused on biosafety practices, conducting rigorous inventory checks, and 

developing creative outreach materials to highlight the importance of conducting vital research 

safely. Given the successes oflast year, we are enthusiastic for this year's National Biosafety 

Stewardship Month, and encourage your institutions to take this opportunity to reinforce your 

attention to sustaining and enhancing a culture of safety and responsibility in life science 

research laboratories. 

What is my institution's role in National Biosafety Stewardship Month? 

In the past year there has continued to be a great deal of public interest 'in biosafety, and it is of 

the highest importance that the public feel confident that life sciences research is being 

conducted responsibly and in accordance with all applicable regulations. Participation in 

National Biosafety Stewardship Month is just one opportunity to show your institution's 

commitment to these important endeavors. 
Page 2 - Addressees 

As with last year, you will have a critical role in the success of this effort by reinforcing and 

optimizing activities that are already integral to your biosafety programs. I am also calling on 

senior Institutional leadership to support your institution' s participation in National Biosafety 

Stewardship Month. 

The focus of National Biosafety Stewardship Month in 2015 will be on sustaining and enhancing 

a culture of safety and responsibility in life science research laboratories. Thematic elements of 

enhancing a culture of safety and responsibility include: 

Training 

• 	 Enhancing biosafety training for all staff involved in both the conduct and oversight of 

life sciences research. 

• 	 Promoting the development of comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), 

and ensuring all personnel are trained on those SOPs. 

Engagement 

• 	 Engaging senior institutional research administrators to support and communicate the 

importance of biosafety, 

• 	 Encouraging principal investigators to take an active role with respect to biosafety in 

their laboratories, and 

• 	 Encouraging institutions to foster the development of non-punitive incident reporting 

systems that provide lessons learned regarding optimal responses to incidents and 

identification of strategies to minimize risks. 

Transparency 

• 	 Highlighting successes the institution has had in conducting vital research responsibly 

through a safe and. ethical framework. 

• 	 Promoting public transparency regarding institutional oversight of biosafety. 

For National Biosafety Stewardship Month in 2015, NIH is encouraging institutions to develop 

policies, procedures, and programs that further the goals described above. 

While NIH has designated October to be National Biosafety Stewardship Month, it does not 

mean that all of the above mentioned activities need to be conducted only during that month. It is 

NIH' s expectation that institutions are considering these issues though out the year. However, 

October has been designated as the month in which we request institutions to redouble their 

efforts with respect to biosafety. 
Page 3 - Addressees 

What if I have questions about our efforts to participate in National Biosafety Stewardship 

Month? 

Questions about National Biosafety Stewardship Month can be directed to : 

Office of Science Policy 

National Institutes of Health 

6705 Rockledge Drive, Suite 750 

Bethesda, MD 20892-7985 

Phone: 301-496-9838 

Fax: 301-496-9839 

Email: SciencePolicy@od.nih.gov 

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. 

Carrie D. W olinetz, Ph. . 

Associate Director for Science Policy 

National Institutes of Health