How to Become a Fellow

The United States Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Cooperative Threat Reduction Bioscience Fellowship Program (CBFP) seeks to strengthen partners’ technical capacities in the areas of biosafety, biosecurity, and detection.

This program supports mid-career biological scientists in advancing their technical skills, developing professionally, and fostering international collaboration through impactful projects. Fellows should have an established role or clear career trajectory that enables them to contribute to sustainable improvements in their home institutions and countries, enhancing their capabilities to address risks associated with high-threat pathogens.

The CBFP will award up to 24 fellowships from partner countries. Selected fellows will conduct a fellowship for up to six months at a host institution in a country different than their home country. Fellow selection will be based on the alignment of the fellow’s needs and interests with the capabilities and expertise of the host institution. Funding for this fellowship program is provided by DTRA.

Eligibility Criteria

• Educational Background: Applicants must hold a BS, MS/MPH or PhD in a relevant biological science field. BS-level applicants must demonstrate significant professional experience to qualify. 

• Professional Experience: Applicants must have experience in biosafety, biosecurity, infectious disease diagnostics, or related fields. Preference will be given to those with current or prior work on high-threat pathogens, such as Bacillus anthracis, Brucellosis spp., Foot-and-Mouth Disease virus, etc. 

• Institutional Support: A letter of support from the applicant’s home institution is required, confirming their commitment to the fellow’s participation and post-fellowship reintegration. 

Fellowship Focus Areas

Priority domains and competencies are shown in Table 1.  

• Primary Areas: 
  • High-threat pathogens 
• Secondary Areas: 
  • Biosafety and biosecurity of infectious disease diagnostics. 
  • Strengthening capabilities to detect, characterize, mitigate, and report on high-threat pathogens. 
  • Institutionalization of biosafety and biosecurity best practices and principles. 

All projects must comply with:

• Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) containment standards.
• Guidelines for avoiding dual-use potential and ensuring ethical scientific practices.
• Selected fellows will be matched with host institutions that will provide samples as required; sample collection is not permitted as part of the fellowship.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on: 

1. Technical and Professional Capacity: Educational qualifications, professional experience, and commitment to biosafety and biosecurity. 

2. Project Feasibility and Relevance: Alignment with DTRA and CBFP goals, adherence to BSL-2 containment standards, and ethical considerations. 

3. Potential for Impact: Ability to transfer knowledge to home country and build capacity in biosafety and biosecurity. 

4. Application Presentation and Completeness: Completeness, clarity, and thoughtfulness of responses. 

Final fellowship approval is contingent upon a successful match with a host institution and United States Government authorization. 

Funding and Support

Fellows will receive: 

• Financial support for project-related supplies and reagents, living stipends, housing, and travel expenses. 
• Emergency medical insurance for the duration of the fellowship. 
• Access to state-of-the-art facilities and resources at host institutions. 
• Mentorship and training opportunities to enhance professional skills. 
• Networking opportunities to foster international collaboration. 

Applicants must currently reside in their country of permanent residence and are required to return there upon program completion.

Selected fellows must:

1. Provide regular progress reports and updates during the fellowship. 
2. Submit a final report at the conclusion of the program.  
3. Be prepared to discuss their experiences and accomplishments with fellow participants and stakeholders. 
4. Report to program funders and relevant institutions on how they plan to apply, or have already begun applying, their newly acquired skills after returning to their home countries. 

Application Process

Required Documents: 

• Completed Application Form 
• Curriculum Vitae (CV) 
• Project Proposal (aligned with CBFP goals and compliant with fellowship focus areas) 
  • 3-5 pages, single-spaced  
  • Project description 
    • Must use the template provided within the online application portal
    • Overview, goal, and objectives  
    • Background and significance 
    • Work plan (e.g., approach and methodologies) 
    • Broader impacts and merit  
  • Cited references  
  • Facilities, equipment, and other resources to support project  
• Letter of Support from home institution on institutional letterhead, signed and dated by the applicant’s supervisor. The letter of support must confirm the supervisor’s approval of the applicant’s participation in the fellowship and include: 
  • Applicant’s full name. 
  • Applicant’s position title. 
  • Institution name. 
  • Intended fellowship focus area. 
  • Supervisor’s consent to fellowship duration.  

Applicants must:

1. Submit a completed application and all required supporting documents. Incomplete applications will not be considered. 
2. Demonstrate fluency in English (speaking, writing and reading) to communicate with scientific peers at host institutions. 
3. Pass a medical exam and obtain medical clearance, upon selection and acceptance into the fellowship program. 
4. Provide proof of eligibility for the appropriate visa as determined by the host country.

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Submission Process

All applications must be submitted no later than October 3, 2025, at 23:59 U.S. Eastern Time (ET).

The CBFP looks forward to receiving application submissions. Please circulate this announcement within your professional networks.

For email inquiries, contact: [email protected].

Table 1. CBFP DOMAINS AND COMPETENCIES ¹ 

Domain	Domain Definition	Competency	Competency Definition
1. Disease recognition and prevention of spread	1.1 Understanding of disease in the following realms: morbidity, mortality, transmission, control, disease presentation and distribution, and impact.	1.1.1 Disease characteristics and impact	Disease characteristics and epidemiology of pathogens and the diseases they cause, including etiology, signs and symptoms, morbidity, mortality, risk factors, incubation period, period of communicability, mode of transmission, clinical presentation, mechanisms of spillover, reservoir species, spatiotemporal and geographic distributions of affected populations, and demographic characteristics of affected populations (species/age/sex/ occupational status/ etc.), including outcomes on population health.
		1.1.2 Clinical Infection control and animal health biosecurity	Understanding of basic infection prevention and control procedures related to pathogens for human and animal clinical settings in line with GHSA and IHR milestones (when applicable), including standard precautions (PPE use; disinfection; sterilization); environmental infection control; laboratory testing; nosocomial infections, including AMR; and animal health biosecurity principles, procedures.)
2. Disease identification, detection, confirmation, and reporting	2.1 Positive identification of diseases and reporting to appropriate authorities.	2.1.1 Test procedures (presumptive/ confirmatory)	Knowledge, understanding and proficiency with procedures for conducting screening, diagnostic, and confirmatory testing and interpreting test results for pathogens from different types of samples using different types of tests (ELISA, PCR, etc.), including test accuracy, reliability, specificity, and sensitivity and quality control/quality assurance (QA/QC) measures needed to validate testing results.
		2.1.2 Reporting	Knowledge, understanding and proficiency in policies and procedures for disease notification and/or bi-directional reporting of biosurveillance and laboratory data through national information-sharing systems, or to notify regional/international authorities such as WHO/FAO/WOAH of a disease, other significant epidemiological event, or potential public health emergency of international concern (as appropriate to roles and responsibilities at each operational level).
3. Analytics and assessment	3.1 Appropriate study design, data analysis, and implementation of processes, as applies to each discipline.	3.1.1 Study design and ethics	Knowledge and understanding of scientific methodologies and study design principles (hypothesis development, study plan development, sampling design, strategy for data collection and analysis) and application of biosurveillance study ethics to responsibly address safety, security, and ethical issues related to the study aims and hypotheses, including understanding of issues around dual-use research of concern.
		3.1.2 Methodologies and analysis	Knowledge, understanding and proficiency in the use of statistical and other relevant methodologies for biosurveillance studies including practices and approaches for data collection, use and interpretation of statistical data analyses, data visualization, and use of statistical data software tools.
		3.1.3 Dissemination of findings and outreach to stakeholders	Knowledge, understanding and proficiency in the dissemination of study findings through peer-reviewed scientific journal publications, conference presentations and public outreach activities, including engagement with appropriate stakeholders and partners at national, regional, and international levels.
		3.1.4 Resource mobilization and management	Knowledge, understanding and proficiency in the planning, acquisition, mobilization, allocation, management and tracking of financial and non-financial resources for projects, including proposal development and grant writing.
4. Biosafety	4.1 The application of knowledge, techniques, and equipment to prevent accidental exposure to and release of pathogens.	4.1.1 Biohazard Identification and classification	Knowledge, understanding and proficiency with identification and classification of biohazards associated with pathogens, for laboratories, hospitals, other biomedical and clinical facilities, and the community, including biohazard risk assessment and characterization, and biohazard identification policies and compliance procedures.
		4.1.2 Biohazard Control Measures (e.g., personal protective equipment, safety practices and equipment, facility design, and administrative controls).	Knowledge, understanding and proficiency with development and implementation of international best practices and procedures for biothreat biosafety and biohazard control measures (substitution, elimination, mitigation) for personnel, equipment, facilities (laboratories, hospitals, and other biomedical and clinical facilities) and the community.
		4.1.3 Biohazard Incident Management	Knowledge, understanding and proficiency with development and implementation of policies, procedures, and operational guidelines, including emergency operation communications systems, for Biohazard Incident Management for pathogen outbreaks, releases or exposures.
5. Laboratory biosecurity	5.1 Prevent theft, misuse, loss, or deliberate release of pathogens.	5.1.1 Biosecurity Risk Identification	Knowledge, understanding and proficiency with principles and procedures for Biosecurity Risk identification, risk assessments, characterization and compliance with recommended international standards and best practices to prevent the loss, theft, or misuse of biological organisms and laboratory/ biosurveillance study technologies.
		5.1.2 Biosecurity Risk Mitigation	Knowledge, understanding and proficiency with international best practices for Biosecurity Risk Mitigation, and related risk reduction approaches to enhance physical security, personnel reliability, material control and accountability, transport security, and information security/ cybersecurity, and the development and implementation of Biosecurity Risk Mitigation strategies for laboratories, facilities, and personnel to prevent the loss, theft, or misuse of biological organisms, especially pathogens, and laboratory/ biosurveillance study technologies.

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