One of the ambitions of the Biosecurity Office is to provide information on biosecurity, including biosecurity and dual-use topics, to students in life sciences throughout their studies. Therefore, the Biosecurity Office organizes guest lectures and seminars and develops e-learning modules for students.
The Biosecurity Office considers it important that students in life sciences are informed about biosecurity during their studies. To achieve this, the Biosecurity Office collaborates with various educational institutions to incorporate biosecurity and dual-use into relevant curricula. The Biosecurity Office provides guest lectures and seminars as part of these efforts.
In this context, the Biosecurity Office, in collaboration with the Graduate School of Life Sciences (GSLS) at Utrecht University, organized a seminar on Biosecurity and Bioterrorism for 200 master's students on Thursday, April 13. Through the history of biological weapons, the pillars of biosecurity, dual-use, and interactive scenarios, students were introduced to biosecurity.
To realize the ambitions in education, the Biosecurity Office is currently developing e-learning modules that can be easily accessed by students (and later by researchers and laboratory staff). The idea is for colleges, universities, and other institutions to have free access to these modules in the future. The goal is to align these modules with existing initiatives, and the Biosecurity Office emphasizes the importance of coordinating with stakeholders in this process.
If you are interested in discussing biosecurity and dual-use in education or would like to enhance the coverage of these topics in your educational institution, please contact us at biosecurity@rivm.nl.