Even during this tense election year, bipartisan coalitions are taking steps to enhance national security, protect American-owned intellectual property and secure the country’s supply chain by lessening the nation’s dependence on biotechnology companies linked to the Chinese Communist Party. In September, the House passed the BIOSECURE Act, with significant support from both parties. The bill prohibits federal agencies from contracting with five companies with clear ties to the Chinese Communist Party: WuXi AppTec, WuXi Biologics, Beijing Genomics Institute, MGI, and its subsidiary, Complete Genomics. The Senate will consider the BIOSECURE Act this fall. But beyond simply divesting from companies linked to China, America now must double down on investments in its seedbeds of biotechnology innovation to shore up its domestic production, grow jobs, and strengthen our position in the global bioeconomy. To do so, Congress needs to fully fund the CHIPS and Science Act, including the National Science Foundation’s Regional Innovation Engines and the Commerce Department’s Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs) programs, and maximize the impact of new agencies such as the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. Because of discretionary spending caps instituted as part of the 2023 budget deal, these critical programs have only been funded at a fraction of their authorized amounts. The Tech Hubs program, for example, has only received 5 percent of its total authorization, and the NSF has experienced funding shortfalls as well.

Full opinion : How United States needs to provide conducive environment for biotechnology startups to outpace China.