As the U.S. accelerates into the age of biotechnology, the future of our national competitiveness, economic growth, and security depend on a workforce and citizenry fluent in biotechnology. This panel brings together leaders to explore how bioliteracy and a biotech-ready workforce can become strategic assets to power the U.S. bioeconomy.

As AI, automation, and scalable biotechnologies accelerate the design and deployment of biology, the line between innovation and risk is increasingly blurred. This session explores how advances in programmable biology are reshaping biosecurity and biodefense, from dual-use risks and supply-chain vulnerabilities to new models for detection, governance, and defense. Leaders from industry, government, and research will discuss how to responsibly accelerate biology while protecting public health and national security.

How can local communities benefit from biotechnology? This session explores strategies for building decentralized biotech ecosystems that support local innovation, shared ownership, and resilient bioeconomies. By aligning biotechnology with planetary stewardship and place-based knowledge, we highlight a new era of bio-based products and initiatives led by founders bringing their culture and community into biotechnology.

AI is transforming biology into a fully integrated computational discipline, where discovery depends on the seamless interaction between models, compute infrastructure, and experimental systems. As foundation models for proteins, genomes, and cellular systems mature, the challenge is no longer prediction alone. It is building a unified stack that connects generative design, large-scale computation, and rapid experimental feedback into continuous learning loops. This session explores how the next generation of computational biology platforms is emerging at the intersection of cloud computing, GPU-accelerated modeling, advanced simulation, and high-throughput experimental infrastructure. Leaders across AI, biotech, and technology will discuss how tightly integrated design-build-test-learn cycles are reshaping therapeutic discovery, enabling adaptive model refinement, and accelerating the transition from in silico hypotheses to real-world biological outcomes.

Venture capital alone is no longer enough to power the next wave of biotechnology innovation. Across health, biosecurity, climate, and advanced biomanufacturing, government agencies are emerging as catalytic partners, deploying billions in non-dilutive funding to accelerate high-risk, high-impact breakthroughs. But accessing this capital requires more than strong science. Founders must understand how agencies like ARPA-H, DARPA, BARDA, and others evaluate risk, define mission impact, and structure partnerships that bridge research and real-world deployment. This session brings together agency leaders, founders, and experienced operators to demystify how government funding actually works in today’s market. The panelists will explore how startups can position themselves for success, avoid common pitfalls in proposal development and contracting, and strategically leverage non-dilutive funding to extend runway, de-risk technology, and unlock new commercial pathways.