Aegis is an Oxford-based incubator for people working on tools and technologies to protect against catastrophic biological threats. We fund your work, give you a place to build, and connect you with funders to keep going.
Sign UpThe biosecurity field has big ideas but not enough people building them. We give you money and time to work from Oxford on the things that matter most. At the end, you pitch to funders at a demo day — the goal is for your project to become an organisation and your prototype to become a real product.
Enough to work full-time on your project
A workspace and a cohort of people working on similar problems
People who know biosecurity, policy, and how to start things
Pitch to funders who can back you beyond the programme
We're focused on the four-pillar framework — defenses that work regardless of the specific pathogen, because they target constraints that all pathogens share.
Next-generation respiratory protection. Elastomeric respirators offering protection factors exceeding 100, stockpiled for critical infrastructure.
e.g., novel respirator designs, manufacturing scalability, fit-testing tools
Pathogen-free environments through UV deployment, air filtration, and accessible DIY approaches using widely available materials.
e.g., low-cost air filtration systems, UV sterilisation devices, shelter design tools
Metagenomic sequencing to identify novel threats at ~0.1% prevalence — roughly a month before widespread infection becomes inevitable.
e.g., sequencing platforms, wastewater surveillance, disease monitoring dashboards
Fast-turnaround treatments grounded in the principle that any self-replicating system contains exploitable vulnerabilities.
e.g., broad-spectrum antivirals, rapid vaccine platforms, drug discovery tools
Read the full framework at Defenses in Depth.
Tell us what you want to build and why it matters
Deadline for all submissions
Interviews and final cohort decisions
Three months of funded work alongside your cohort
Show what you've built to people who can fund what comes next
Take what you've built and turn it into a lasting organisation
Advisor
Ph.D. candidate at Oxford University
Advisor
AI researcher and entrepreneur
We're putting together the first cohort. If you're working on something related to the four pillars — or want to — leave your details and we'll be in touch.
No commitment — we just want to know who's out there.