National Biotechnology Initiative Act of 2025

Summary

Creates a White House office and an interagency Initiative to coordinate federal biotechnology efforts across research, commercialization, data, workforce, biosafety, and international engagement. The office will produce a national biotechnology strategy, run annual reporting and reviews, convene expert groups, and receive authorized funding for administrative support through the National Science Foundation. Requires participating agencies to designate senior leads and carry out coordinated activities—such as R&D coordination, data infrastructure, regulatory streamlining, workforce development, and biosecurity planning—while setting timelines for strategy, reporting, and program reviews over a 20-year horizon.

• Creates a National Biotechnology Coordination Office in the White House to coordinate federal biotech policy, data, workforce, commercialization, and biosafety.
• Requires an interagency committee with Assistant Secretary–level leads from major departments and agencies to implement Initiative activities.
• Directs the NBIO to deliver a national biotechnology strategy within 2 years and update it every 5 years, plus annual reporting to Congress.
• Authorizes NSF administrative support funding (FY2026–FY2030) to help stand up and run the NBIO (authorization, not appropriation).
• Mandates agency-level actions on R&D coordination, biological data infrastructure, regulatory streamlining, commercialization support, and workforce development.
• Gives OMB authority to resolve regulatory overlaps and oversee rulemaking negotiations when agencies cannot reach timely agreement.
• Allows NBIO to convene outside experts exempt from the Federal Advisory Committee Act to inform decisions.
• Establishes a 20-year timeline with periodic Comptroller General reviews and an eventual wind-down and transfer of duties to the interagency committee.