National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research

The National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research (NICBR, pronounced "Nick Burr") is a biotechnology and biodefense partnership and collaborative environment of eight U.S. Federal government agencies at Fort Detrick, Maryland, USA. The goals of the NICBR, created in 200?, are to enhance mission effectiveness of mission partners, to optimize NICBR as a sustainable community of scientific excellence while enhancing public trust and support, and to optimize governance to enhance performance. The NICBR Vision is "Federal partners working in synergy to achieve a healthier and more secure nation." In support of these goals, subcommittees and working groups foster interagency collaboration, maximize safety and productivity of biological research and technology development, and minimize duplication of effort, technology, and facilities among the signatories.

Four federal cabinet level departments are represented in the NICBR: The DoD (2 agencies), the DHHS (4), the DHS (1) and the USDA (1). The NICBR agencies are:

• U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC), DoD
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), DHHS
• National Cancer Institute (NCI), DHHS
• Agricultural Research Service, USDA
• Science and Technology Directorate, DHS
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), DHHS
• Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC), DoD
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), DHHS

Some NICBR laboratories are physically consolidated on the National Interagency Biodefense Campus (NIBC) which includes all NICBR partners except NCI, which maintains its own campus on the Rosemont Avenue side of Fort Detrick. The Fort Detrick Interagency Coordinating Committee (FDICC) is the central hub of the NICBR governance structure, which is chaired by the Fort Detrick U.S. Army Garrison Commander. It is composed of all NICBR partner representatives.

The FDICC meets twice a month and reports to the Executive Steering Committee (ESC), which is chaired by the Commander, U. S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command and is composed of equivalents across the partner agencies. The ESC reports to the NICBR Board of Directors (BOD), consisting of the Chair, currently Army Surgeon General, and her equivalents across the partnership. Collectively, the NICBR governance bodies provide strategic direction and oversight to ensure that the NICBR Mission, "to develop unique knowledge, tools, and products by leveraging advanced technologies and innovative discoveries to secure and defend the health of the American people," is carried out. Members of the NICBR embrace the core philosophy of "Trust and Teamwork”.

Reporting to the FDICC are seven subcommittees and three working groups:

• The Sustainment Subcommittee
• The Financial and Business Planning Subcommittee
• The Public Affairs and Community Relations Subcommittee (PACRS)
  • The Educational Outreach Working Group (reporting through the PACRS)
• The Security Subcommittee
• The Information Management & Information Technology Subcommittee
• The Safety & Occupational Health Subcommittee (SOH)
  • The Medical Directors Working Group (reporting through the SOH)
• The Scientific Interaction Subcommittee (SIS)
  • The Select Agent Program Working Group (reporting through the SIS)

The NICBR Partnership Office (NPO) provides a staffing function and coordinating center for and under the direction of the FDICC. The NPO works closely with the subcommittees and working groups to facilitate execution of their individual charters and action items handed down by the governance bodies.