Deliberative Process and Funding Pause on Certain Types of Gain-of-Function Research

S3: Science Safety Security

On October 16, 2014, the White House announced that the U.S. Government will launch a deliberative process in order to assess the risks and benefits of certain gain-of-function (GOF) experiments. The NIH Director also published a Statement on Funding Pause on Certain Types of Gain-of-Function Research on October 17, 2014. During this deliberative process, U.S. government departments and agencies will pause the release of federal funding for GOF studies that enhances the pathogenicity or transmissibility among mammals by respiratory droplets of influenza, MERS, or SARS.

The pause will allow the U.S. Government, in partnership with the life sciences community and stakeholders, to conduct a comprehensive assessment of gain-of-function research with the explicit goal of developing a new federal policy framework to guide future investments in this area of research. To learn more, see the Frequently Asked Questions on the U.S. Government Gain-of-Function Deliberative Process and Research Funding Pause on Selected Gain-of-Function Research Involving Influenza, MERS, and SARS Viruses.