INTERPOL, in its leading role as global police organization, aims to promote and enhance co-operation and partnership initiatives between law enforcement and relevant agencies to strengthen the global response to bio-terrorism.
Thanks to a substantial grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a dedicated unit was created at the INTERPOL General Secretariat in Lyon, France, in June 2004. This unit has developed a programme to build national and international capacity to counter the threat of bioterrorism.
The programme was officially launched in 2005 with an International Conference on Bioterrorism; current events fall under Phase Three of the programme (years 2008-2011).

Specifically, INTERPOL has as its task to further co-ordinate, develop and enhance the knowledge, training and capability of law enforcement to recognize, prevent, contain and investigate bio-terrorist threats, by:

• establishing a resource centre at the disposal of worldwide law enforcement;
• developing a Bioterrorism Incident Response Guide;
• providing training and awareness programmes in a wide variety of formats, as well as an e-learning module, and a fellowship programme for specialized police officers,
• seeking to develop, with law enforcement and relevant agencies, ways of gathering and sharing information concerning the threat of bioterrorism more effectively;
• creating a database of biological crimes committed since the beginning of the 20th century (complementary to the UN bio-incidents database);
• enhancing co-operation and understanding between international organizations and research centres, including those dealing in genetic engineering.