Elevate Biotechnology Across the Executive Branch

Congress should direct each relevant agency to designate a senior official to lead biotechnology policy.

The National Biotechnology Coordination Office (NBCO) would coordinate biotechnology efforts across the government and provide strategic leadership from the White House. Ultimately, the departments and agencies themselves are responsible for the day-to-day implementation of biotechnology policies and programs. But few have designated senior leaders at a high enough level to guide biotechnology activities within their agency and represent their agency’s viewpoints to the White House.

To ensure that each agency has an appropriate champion of biotechnology, Congress should direct relevant departments and agencies to designate a senior leader at the assistant secretary level or equivalent to oversee and steer biotechnology-related work in their departments and agencies. The senior leader should also serve as the department’s primary liaison to the director of the NBCO.

The Commission identified several opportunities to elevate biotechnology across the federal government, including at the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Department of Agriculture (USDA).