CRDF Global’s 25th anniversary was a year to remember. The COVID-19 pandemic spread throughout the world, a dramatic reminder of vulnerabilities inherent in our highly interconnected world. We faced and overcame unprecedented challenges with closed borders, cities on lockdown, and supply chains interrupted. 

With prior experience delivering remote engagements with partners in conflict zones, CRDF Global rapidly retooled many of its programs to a virtual format. Over the course of the year, we delivered more than 160 virtual trainings, workshops, conferences, and events. Internally, we quickly adopted an effective business rhythm working remotely and redeployed some staff in our travel and logistics division to other areas. We are proud that we had no layoffs during this time and instead hired 79 additional personnel. The downtime also allowed us to renovate our regional offices in Virginia, Amman, and Kyiv.  

25 years ago, CRDF Global’s origin was based on a shared understanding that threats and opportunities often go hand in hand. The fall of the Soviet Union and the emergence of the newly independent states offered tremendous opportunities. But they also posed a threat in the form of the proliferation of WMD scientific knowledge and skills. CRDF Global provided a bridge for many scientists and helped reform institutions that would allow them to prosper and contribute to their national economies and cultures. Over the years, CRDF Global evolved along with the concept and application of cooperative threat reduction, bringing its unique blend of entrepreneurship, grantmaking, technical acumen, and international security awareness to changing challenges in counterproliferation, biosecurity, strategic trade management, cybersecurity, and other areas.  

In 2020 we again stepped into the most pressing challenge, a global pandemic on a scale not experienced since 1918. With support from the Centers for Disease Control, we helped partner nations improve emergency health preparedness, conduct effective disease surveillance, strengthen borders, and improve laboratory systems. This work is ongoing and growing.

I invite you to go over our year in review and discover our Women in Science and Security initiative, highlights of our work in food security, innovation ecosystems, and international visitor exchange, as well as our security assistance missions. Also, hear from our incredible staff about our work and who we are in their words. I am grateful to lead this enterprise and extremely proud of our growing, resilient, and dedicated team. 

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Sincerely,