Project summary

My Analysis paper, "Why public health needs to engage with Existential Risk Studies: a call for collaboration," has been accepted by BMJ Global Health (reference bmjgh-2025-023036.R1). The paper argues that public health and existential risk studies have significant untapped synergies and makes the case for structured collaboration between the two fields.

BMJ Global Health is a fully Open Access journal, meaning all published articles require payment of an Article Processing Charge (APC). This manuscript type (Analysis) is not covered by the Read & Publish agreements held by either the University of Cambridge or the University of Nottingham, so institutional funding is unavailable. The standard APC is £3,580, but BMJ Global Health has granted a 50% discount, reducing the charge to £1,790 (~$2,408 USD).

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

The goal is straightforward: to publish an accepted, peer-reviewed paper in a leading global health journal. The paper is already accepted - the only remaining barrier is covering the APC. Once funded, payment will be made directly to BMJ and the article will be published Open Access, freely available to researchers, policymakers, and practitioners worldwide.

The paper aims to bridge two communities - public health and existential risk studies - for meaningful collaboration to reduce X-risk. Publication in BMJ Global Health places these arguments directly in front of the global health audience that most needs to engage with them.

How will this funding be used?

100% of funds raised will go towards paying the discounted Article Processing Charge of £1,790 (~$2,408 USD) to BMJ for Open Access publication.

Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

I am the sole author. I have a strong track record of publication across biosecurity, global health, and existential risk, including work in Global Security: Health, Science and Policy, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, and Health Security (in-press). My full publication list is available at https://drricharmitage.com/publications.

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

If funding is not secured, the paper will not be published. The research is complete and the article is accepted - the only barrier is the APC. Failure to publish would mean that arguments for public health–existential risk collaboration would not reach the BMJ Global Health readership, delaying engagement between these two fields at a time when convergent risks (particularly AIxBio) are accelerating.

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

No funds for this project have been raised. I have explored institutional funding routes for this APC, but neither my department nor my Cambridge college have available funds to support it.