BSL-3 Research/Select Agents & Dual Use Research of Concern

Research with Risk Group 3 agents requires additional registration and training. A list of Risk Group 3 agents can be found in Appendix B of the NIH Guidelines. This research may not be initiated until approval is granted by the Yale Biological Safety Committee and the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health. Please contact the Biosafety Office at 203-785-3550 for more information.

Select agents are materials that have been identified by the U.S. Government as agents that have potential use in biological terrorism or warfare. This research may not be initiated until approval is granted by the U.S. Government and the Yale Biological Safety Committee. See a list of Select Agents in Chapter 12 of the Biological Safety Manual. Please contact the Biosafety Office at 203-785-3550 for more information.

Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) & Potential Pandemic Pathogens

The Government’s 2014 DURC policy has been modified and replaced by the United States Government Policy for Oversight of Dual Use Research of Concern and Pathogens with Enhanced Pandemic Potential. Published in 2024, the updated policy is effective as of May 2025 and contains significant changes. The list of agents that require review and authorization prior to initiating research has grown from 15 to over 90, and are now classified as Category 1 agents. The types of experiments of concern have grown from seven to nine for evaluating these agents. New to the policy, Category 2 agents and experiments are related to potential pandemic pathogens. The policy also now requires the National Institutes of Health (NIH) review and approval for any DURC for which it provides funding. The updated policy outlines key responsibilities for principal investigators, institutions (Yale), and the NIH. EHS has updated the DURC Registration Form in response to the changes in the policy.