IRSD-KHID-RHID

Dear colleagues,

On 28 October 2025, NATO and Belgium are pleased to welcome the representatives of NATO Allies along with NATO civilian and military officials to take part in the First NATO Biotechnology Conference; a one-day in-person event open to all NATO member countries as well as NATO bodies..

This flagship event aims to bring together stakeholders in the wider biotechnology community, including from government, the industry, finance, and the academia, to raise awareness and build capacity around a shared objective of fostering our biotechnology innovation ecosystems in a defence and security context.

Faced with unprecedented growth of biotechnologies and their impacts, NATO adopted its Biotechnology and Human Enhancement (BHE) Technologies Strategy in 2024: a first of its kind to guide the Alliance towards the development and integration of emerging biotechnologies, both to leverage their opportunities for the Alliance and safeguard against the risks they pose.

Biotechnology is poised to improve many aspects of civil society, from healthcare to energy to environmental science. It is also considered increasingly relevant for defence and security. Biotechnologies present a wide range of opportunities for the Alliance, from bio-engineered novel materials to human enhancement technologies. But they also herald increasingly pressing risks against which we must mitigate to retain NATO’s technological edge.

In line with NATO’s BHE Strategy, the conference aims to build a network amongst stakeholders, foster understanding and begin to establish priority applications for defence. An approach of international cooperation and supporting growth of biotech ecosystems, while safeguarding sensitive research, is essential to harness biotechnology development, acquisition and integration. Expert insights will highlight defence-relevant capabilities from Allied ecosystems, synergies with dual-use and civil bio-innovation, and considerations for resilient biotechnology ecosystems. This requires a proactive stance: whilst applications for defence are less well-established than in the civil domain, their opportunities and risks pose unique challenges for policymakers, scientists and industry that this conference seeks to explore.

The NATO Biotechnology Conference is by invitation only, with a range of subject matter experts from across the Alliance as panellists and audience participation encouraged in line with the ambition to shape a community of practice around biotechnology in the defence and security context.

Dress Code: business or service dress

Throughout the day, the Belgian Defence’s BIONEAR® Rapidly Deployable Medical Mobile Lab for Epidemic Response and CBRN Preparedness will be accessible for discovery in front of the conference centre. An active demonstration session will be provided by the Belgian Defence Bio CBRN Defence Lab’s team during the lunch break. Take the time to explore this unique capability which strengthens Belgium’s and NATO’s readiness for biological threats, pandemics, and bioterrorism, while supporting global health resilience.

28 October 2025, 09 h 00 – 17 h 00
> 08 h 00 : Welcome
> 09 h 00 : Conference
> 17 h 00 : Reception

Campus Renaissance
Rue Hobbema, 8
1000 Brussels