Open Philanthropy recommended a grant of $940,000 over two years to the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Foundation for its work on safety and security, led by Piers Millett. iGEM is an international synthetic biology competition for students. Open Philanthropy believes that supporting iGEM’s safety and security work could help raise awareness about biosecurity among current and future synthetic biologists. This funding will enable iGEM to hire additional staff and host workshops related to biosafety and security.
This follows Open Philanthropy's November 2018 support and falls within its focus area of biosecurity and pandemic preparedness.