Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) is life sciences research that, based on current understanding, can be reasonably anticipated to provide knowledge, information, products, or technologies that could be misapplied to do harm with no, or only minor, modification to pose a significant threat with  potential consequences to public health and safety, agricultural crops and other plants, animals, the environment, materiel, or national security.

Dual Use Research vs Dual Use Research of Concern

Research yielding new technologies or information with the potential for both benevolent and harmful purposes are referred to as "dual use research." Some degree of dual use potential may be inherent in a significant portion of life sciences research. However, the small subset of life sciences research with the highest potential for yielding knowledge, products, or technology that could be misapplied to threaten public health or national security is referred to as "dual use research of concern." 

Updates: Effective May 6, 2025

The new United States Government Policy for Oversight of Dual Use Research of Concern and Pathogens with Enhanced Pandemic Potential (Policy) applies to research funded or sponsored by grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other agreements and transactions issued on or after May 6, 2025, for the proposal stage and full life cycle of the research. The updated Policy supersedes all previous policies issued.

Main changes:

• Defining an expanded scope of biological agent and toxin research subject to additional oversight by the US government
  • Created two categories of research that are subject to the DURC and PEPP Policy:
    • Category 1
    • Category 2: highly transmissible pathogens capable of causing severe illness e.g. Pandemic Potential Pathogen (PPP); or a Pathogen with Enhanced Pandemic Potential, which is a PPP modified to increase transmissibility or virulence; or an eradicated or extinct PPP that poses a public health threat
• Providing a unified framework to support consistent identification and oversight of research proposals subject to this Policy that accounts for safety, security, and ethical considerations
• Delineating the roles and responsibilities of principal investigators (PIs), research institutions, and federal departments and agencies that conduct, fund, or oversee research within the scope of this Policy including:
  • PIs must notify the federal funding agency and the Biosafety Program if their research project may involve a Category 1 or Category 2 agent or toxin from proposal stage and throughout the duration of the project.
  • PIs and lab staff conducting life sciences research within the scope of this Policy are required to compete DURC training and education to demonstrate understanding of the Policy requirements.