WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Health and Human Services said the Trump administration has adopted a government-wide policy prohibiting federal funding for what it defines as dangerous gain-of-function research while establishing a new oversight framework for other high-risk life sciences research.
The policy implements a presidential executive order aimed at strengthening biosafety and biosecurity standards governing federally supported biomedical research, according to HHS.
Under the new framework, federal agencies will no longer support dangerous gain-of-function research conducted in the United States or abroad. The policy also requires independent review of certain high-risk life sciences projects before federal funding is awarded and restricts funding for research conducted in countries or institutions that the government determines lack adequate biosafety, biosecurity or oversight standards.
The administration said the policy replaces previous federal oversight frameworks with a single, risk-based approach that evaluates research based on its potential consequences rather than focusing on a defined list of pathogens.
The framework establishes responsibilities for federal agencies, research institutions and investigators to identify, assess and manage research that could present significant risks to public health, national security or biosecurity before taxpayer funding is approved.
HHS said the policy is intended to preserve federally supported biomedical research, including work involving vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics and other medical countermeasures, while subjecting higher-risk projects to additional safeguards.
“The federal government has a duty to protect the American people—not fund research that could put them at risk,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated. “Today, we are ending federal support for dangerous gain-of-function research and replacing weak oversight with clear, enforceable safeguards.”
National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said the framework seeks to balance scientific research with safety oversight.
“The overwhelming majority of biomedical research provides enormous benefits to society,” Bhattacharya stated. “This framework helps ensure that research with the potential to create extraordinary biological risks receives the highest level of scrutiny.”
The administration also called on other countries to strengthen biosafety and biosecurity standards and adopt similar restrictions on dangerous gain-of-function research, arguing that international cooperation is necessary to reduce biological risks.
The full United States Government Policy for Stopping High-Risk Life Sciences Research is available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/USG-Policy-for-Stopping-High-Risk-Life-Sciences-Research_July-2026.pdf.
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