• • At the NATO Biotechnology Community Conference

By NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte

… With 2 percent this year, it’s a lot of extra money to be spent on defence. It is important for Belgium, important for NATO. And, of course, we are so happy that we now see you on this trajectory to 3.5 percent. I know I am constantly knocking on the door for more. Also, I want to thank Admiral Coppieters and I want to thank Ariadne Petridis, the ambassador of Belgium to NATO, my colleague in the North Atlantic Council. So, are you in the meeting we’ll have …?

So you stay here, I have to be back at NATO headquarters because we have, three or four times a week, our meetings with the ambassadors. And I want to thank the Royal Military Academy and the Royal Higher Institute for Defence for hosting this conference. And of course, more generally, I want to thank our host, Belgium, for its valuable support for everything we are doing.

Indeed, in NATO, as I said, and the transatlantic bond but also when it comes to the subject you will be discussing today. Because when it comes to advancing NATO’s innovation agenda, and then particularly in the field of biotechnology, Belgium is really leading the show here, and it is very much of course, also at the heart of this event here today.

This is, Bart, the first-ever NATO Biotechnology Conference. So this is a historic meeting. It demonstrates the growing importance NATO attaches to emerging technologies. I hope, and I believe, that this conference will offer a forum for cooperation on biotechnology among Allies, partners – you mentioned already the IP4 –, industry leaders, innovators and academic institutions.

That is great to see so many of you here today. I hope you all have a seat – I think that’s the case, but it is really a packed room, and it is good to notice. Our combined efforts matter more than ever. Because our security hinges on our ability, as you know, to innovate and integrate new technologies, and biotech, obviously, is high on the list. And we do this best when we do all of this together.

At the Summit in the Hague in June, NATO leaders took, as you know, robust decisions to strengthen our deterrence and defence in a more dangerous world. In particular, they agreed to invest 5 percent of GDP in defence. So there is a lot more cash on the table.

They also agreed to accelerate defence production and innovation. And Bart, you remember, we both visited here in Belgium, a factory in Liege – it was, I think, in April –, and we were both so much impressed by the fact that even when a factory is producing clear-cut stuff – how incredibly complex the supply chains are and what you need to do to basically ramp up production, in this case, four or five times. But here also, Belgium plays a big role when it comes to defence production and innovation.

And why is this important?

Because we need the firepower, we need the best technologies to come out of our industries. Because that’s the only way we can stay strong. And this is how we keep our people across NATO safe.

Advancing innovation in biotechnology is a key part of this.
It will help ensure our militaries have the best and most enhanced capabilities. In other words, to stay safe, we don’t just need the tanks and the jets, and the ships, and the drones and the ammunition.

We also need to develop, to acquire and to integrate biotechnology in our defence capabilities. And that’s where you all come in. Because we need you to build the biotech of tomorrow.

Others indeed – Bart already mentioned it, the Prime Minister –, are already moving at pace. Biotechnology is a priority sector indeed for China. And public funding for Chinese biotech research totalled at least USD 3 billion in 2023.

China has made rapid advancements in biotechnologies, including gene editing and synthetic biology for military and dual-use applications. China’s strategy in this area weaponises supply chains and trade restrictions, for example, regarding human genetics and critical materials.
It has worked, China, to dominate the sector by concentrating production within China and imposing export restrictions to gain geostrategic leverage.

Meanwhile, another country we follow very much closely, Russia, has been leveraging its expertise to conduct covert biological research. It seeks, Russia, to exploit malicious tools, such as its biological weapons programme, that it can use against its adversaries.

So basically, the message is, we cannot allow them to seize the advantage, China, Russia and others. And we know they all work together with North Korea, Iran, etc. Look at what they are doing in Ukraine.

So we must stay at the forefront of innovation and therefore fast-track the development and adoption of defence-critical technologies. And for this, it is also imperative, next to innovation, it is imperative that we invest.

I’m glad to say that we are already making progress.

Last year, we indeed – you mentioned it Bart -, we agreed the NATO Biotechnology & Human Enhancement Strategy.

We are now implementing it.

And at the same time, also already mentioned, the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, or DIANA, helps foster cutting-edge dual-use biotechnologies.
Between last year and this year, we funded a total of 28 promising biotechnology companies through DIANA.

So there is real momentum going forward.

And we have tremendous expertise here at this conference. So let’s hope there is an anti-missile defence system around the building now. I count on all of you to help identify the biotechnology applications that we need for our defence and the implications they have for the Alliance as a whole.

Many applications, like telemedicine and point-of-care blood provision, are already available for deployment in military contexts. They do help, as we speak, protect our troops and enhance our resilience.

There is also rapid progress underway to produce biotech-enabled outfits that, for example, can track signs of fatigue in our soldiers – and politicians –, and early signs of infection or trauma. So there is all these practical applications we can gather from this.

We need more such creative applications of existing technologies. It can improve the physical, cognitive and also the sensory abilities. This ultimately leads to better health, better quality of life, and, very importantly, greater effectiveness. It makes us stronger and it makes us safer.

Going forward, I encourage NATO Allies to ramp up efforts to ensure we remain at the forefront of the biotechnology revolution. I believe we have what it takes to shape the future: the first-class infrastructure, the highly skilled workforce, robust research and development capabilities, and more.

Today’s NATO Biotechnology Conference here demonstrates our commitment to the biotech domain. It shows we are deepening our engagement and pushing forward the integration of innovative Allied ecosystems – always, always a challenge within NATO.

All of you here have a role to play in moving this vital work forward. So this is not just a conference; this is a very important conference. And thank you for being here and sharing your knowledge.

Because together, you bring the best talent and a wide pool of expertise. Not just me saying this – I discussed this with my team yesterday – and we are all excited about this meeting.

With you, and through you, we can, and will, deliver the biotechnology we need for the defence and security of the Alliance. Beat the Russians and the Chinese – I love doing that – but I cannot do it on my own; I need you for this.

So thank you very much for being here. Keep up the great work. And I wish you a very, very productive conference because this is quite crucial.