https://drasticresearch.files.wordpress.com/2021/09/defuse-project-rejection-by-darpa.pdf .. The DEFUSE proposed project by EHA was rejected by DARPA, although “if funding became available”, certain components of particular interest could have gone ahead, subject to a clear contractual Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) risk mitigation plan that ‘includes a responsible communications plan’. REASONS FOR REJECTION The Biological Technologies Office of DARPA reviewed the EcoHealth Alliance DEFUSE proposal and the Evaluation Reports and decided it was “selectable”. In doing so, two out of three reviewers considered the aim of preempting “zoonotic spillover through reduction of viral shedding in the bat caves” as of interest to DARPA. These reviewers assessed the EHA and Collaborators team and concluded that: - They have plenty of prior experience. - They have access to Yunnan caves where bats are infected with SARSr viruses. - They have carried out past surveillance work - They have developed geo-based risk maps of zoonotic hotspots - Their proposed experimental work is logical and can validate molecular and evolutionary models. - Their proposed preemption approaches can rapidly be validated using bat and "batenized" mouse models. However, the Biological Technologies Office did not recommend it be funded at that time because significant weaknesses were identified: ..