The Policy–Practice Gap in Global Biosafety and Biosecurity: Cross-National Evidence from Biosafety Professionals

Introduction: Biosafety and biosecurity play increasingly important roles in global health security. Although many countries have established national policies to govern these practices, the existence of regulation does not guarantee its application or stronger biosecurity in practice. Methods: We analyzed survey data collected from biosafety and biosecurity practitioners in > 40 countries. An institutional-level biosecurity implementation index was developed and aligned with country-level Global Health Security (GHS) Index scores to construct a policy–practice gap (PPG) index. Descriptive analyses and multivariable regression models were used to assess variation in implementation and to identify factors associated with implementation scores. Results: High-income countries had policy development outpacing institutional implementation (PPG mean = 23.5). In contrast, low- and middle-income countries obtained higher implementation scores than their national policy frameworks (PPG mean = −35.7). The study also identified areas requiring greater attention to implementation, including psychological programs for personnel vetting, cross-border transfer, end-use transfer, and cybersecurity. Multivariable analyses showed that experience working in high-containment laboratories, engagement in international collaboration (β = 6.9, p < 0.05), access to high-quality training (β = 2.3, p < 0.05), and adequate institutional financial support (β = 3.51, p < 0.05) were positively associated with implementation index. The magnitude and significance of these associations varied between U.S.-based and non-U.S. respondents. Conclusions: These findings help to understand the differences between national biosecurity policies and implementation across many countries. It shows the limitations of policy-only approaches to strengthening global biosecurity and informs future efforts to address some specific biosecurity practices.