The National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research (NICBR, pronounced "Nick Burr") is a

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...

and

biodefense Biodefense refers to measures to restore biosecurity to a group of organisms who are, or may be, subject to biological threats or infectious diseases. Biodefense is frequently discussed in the context of biowar or bioterrorism, and is generall ...

partnership and collaborative environment of eight U.S. Federal government agencies at

Fort Detrick Fort Detrick () is a United States Army Futures Command installation located in Frederick, Maryland. Historically, Fort Detrick was the center of the U.S. biological weapons program from 1943 to 1969. Since the discontinuation of that program, i ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean t ...

, USA.Public Affairs and Community Relations Subcommittee, ''

Fort Detrick Standard A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''face ...

'' pecial to the Standard: Thursday, Jan 5, 2012/ref>

Structure

Four federal cabinet level departments are represented in the NICBR: The DoD (2 agencies), the DHHS (4), the

DHS The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-ter ...

(1) and the

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of comme ...

(1). The NICBR agencies are: * U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC), DoD *

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID, ) is one of the 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). NIAID's ...

(NIAID), DHHS *

National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. T ...

(NCI), DHHS *

Agricultural Research Service The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the principal in-house research agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). ARS is one of four agencies in USDA's Research, Education and Economics mission area. ARS is charged with ext ...

, USDA *

DHS Science and Technology Directorate The Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is a component within the United States Department of Homeland Security. DHS-S&T serves as the research and development arm of the Department as it fulfills its national security mission. The Science a ...

, DHS *

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georg ...

(CDC), DHHS * Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC), DoD * U.S.

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

(FDA), DHHS Some NICBR laboratories are physically consolidated on the

National Interagency Biodefense Campus The National Interagency Biodefense Campus is a facility in Frederick, MD at Fort Detrick. It hosts members of a scientific collaboration, the National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research. Planning began in 2002, and construction of ...

(NIBC) which includes all NICBR partners except NCI, which maintains its own campus on the Rosemont Avenue side of Fort Detrick. The Fort Detrick Interagency Coordinating Committee (FDICC) is the central hub of the NICBR governance structure, which is chaired by the Fort Detrick U.S. Army garrison commander. It is composed of all NICBR partner representatives.

Leadership and personnel

The FDICC meets twice a month and reports to the Executive Steering Committee (ESC), which is chaired by the commander, U. S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and is composed of equivalents across the partner agencies. The ESC reports to the NICBR Board of Directors (BOD), consisting of the chair, currently Army Surgeon General, and her equivalents across the partnership. Collectively, the NICBR governance bodies provide strategic direction and oversight.

Working groups and subcommittees

Reporting to the FDICC are seven subcommittees and three working groups: *The Sustainment Subcommittee *The Financial and Business Planning Subcommittee *The Public Affairs and Community Relations Subcommittee (PACRS) **The Educational Outreach Working Group (reporting through the PACRS) *The Security Subcommittee *The Information Management & Information Technology Subcommittee *The Safety & Occupational Health Subcommittee (SOH) **The Medical Directors Working Group (reporting through the SOH) *The Scientific Interaction Subcommittee (SIS) **The Select Agent Program Working Group (reporting through the SIS) The NICBR Partnership Office (NPO) provides a staffing function and coordinating center for and under the direction of the FDICC. The NPO works closely with the subcommittees and working groups to facilitate execution of their individual charters and action items handed down by the governance bodies.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research Biological warfare

biological weapons A biological agent (also called bio-agent, biological threat agent, biological warfare agent, biological weapon, or bioweapon) is a bacterium, virus, protozoan, parasite, fungus, or toxin that can be used purposefully as a weapon in bioterrorism ...

Biotechnology organizations

Counterterrorism in the United States Fort Detrick