Background and core problem: Health system of Liberia (Ist Africa) faced massive pressure during the 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak (https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm63e1114a4.htm) The crisis made one thing clear: safe, reliable laboratories are critical for early diagnosis, outbreak response and public trust. Liberia has made significant progress since then. The National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL - https://www.nphil.gov.lr/) now coordinates surveillance and emergency preparedness, while the National Public Health Reference Laboratory (NPHRL) in Monrovia hosts the public health lab system. Despite this progress, severe vulnerabilities remain. The World Health Organization's 2023 Joint External Evaluation (https://www.afro.who.int/sites/default/files/2024-05/Liberia%202023%20JEE%20Report.pdf) scored Liberia’s biosafety and biosecurity capacity as very Iak, giving it a 1 out of 5. The report highlighted poor policy oversight, inadequate equipment maintenance, and Iak pathogen accountability. Put simply, Liberia urgently needs stronger daily routines to keep laboratory work safe and secure.What this Project will do: This project tackles a practical challenge. I need a usable way to spot biosafety gaps at the lab level and turn those findings into a clear action plan.To solve this, the project will create and pilot the Biosafety and Biosecurity Landscape Assessment Matrix (BLAM).BLAM is a practical tool that breaks lab safety down into measurable areas, including:

Governance and oversight

Pathogen accountability

Incident reporting

Specimen handling and referral

Staff training and competency

Biosafety routines and biosecurity practices

Sustainability and follow up

Rather than simply stating that "capacity is weak," BLAM will pinpoint exactly where the vulnerabilities lie and prioritize what to fix first. To keep the scope realistic for a seed grant, the pilot will focus primarily on the NPHRL in Monrovia, mapping how it connects with specific county-level labs and referral pathways.

Connection to AI safety: I am also designing this project with AI safety in mind. As AI tools become more accessible, lab staff may start using them to draft standard operating procedures, summarize technical guidance or troubleshoot problems. While helpful, this introduces heavy risks like AI generating incorrect safety advice or staff feeding sensitive lab data into unsecured tools. I will not use AI to make biosafety decisions in this seed project. Instead, I am asking a foundational question: What basic biosecurity systems must exist before fragile laboratories can safely use AI? 

BLAM serves a dual purpose. It identifies current biosafety gaps today, and it lays the groundwork for a future AI-readiness and AI-biosecurity assessment module.

Activities: Review the Evidence: Analyze the 2023 JEE findings, national policies, and biosafety guidelines to define BLAM's core assessment areas. Develop the Tool: Build the BLAM matrix with clear domains, scoring indicators, and evidence requirements.

Pilot in Liberia: Test the tool at the NPHRL and linked county referral points.

Engage Stakeholders: Work closely with NPHIL, lab staff, and public health leaders to ensure the tool is actually practical on the ground.

Prioritize Gaps: Map out the most urgent biosafety gaps requiring immediate investment.

Plan for Scale-Up: Draft a funder-ready roadmap to expand BLAM to more labs and integrate an AI-safety module in the next phase.

Expected Outputs

The project will deliver:

A working version of the BLAM tool alongside a short scoring guide.

A comprehensive Liberia biosafety and biosecurity scoping report.

A targeted list of priority gaps and immediate "no-regrets" actions.

An implementation pathway for the next 12–24 months.

A concept note to secure scale-up funding.

An initial framework for adding an AI-readiness module to BLAM.

Why This Matters: Biosafety and biosecurity are the bedrock of pandemic preparedness. If a lab cannot safely handle infectious samples, outbreaks spread faster and staff are put at risk. Because infectious diseases cross borders easily, strengthening a fragile health system in Liberia directly improves global health security.

This also represents the first line of defense for AI biosecurity. If a laboratory lacks basic incident reporting or pathogen accountability, it cannot safely integrate AI. BLAM helps ensure the foundation is strong enough to absorb future technologies safely.

Funding Use ($10,000 Seed Grant): This is a seed project designed to test BLAM's real-world utility, not a national implementation program. A $10,000 grant will cover:

Local logistics, transport, and communication in Liberia.

Focused meetings with lab and public health stakeholders.

Development of the BLAM tool and scoring guides.

Protected time for me to design, execute, analyze, and write up the pilot as an unfunded PhD researcher. 

Funds will not go toward large equipment purchases, renovations, or national rollouts—those fall under future scale-up efforts. By testing the tool now, I significantly reduce the risk and uncertainty for future funders.

Future Scale-Up Pathway: If successful, this pilot provides the evidence needed to approach larger funders like Manifund or AI-safety organizations.

A future phase would scale BLAM to more county laboratories and expand it to include animal and environmental (One Health) interfaces. It would also digitize the tool for seamless data collection and fully develop the AI-biosecurity module ultimately creating a Liberia owned, sustainable system for managing laboratory risk.