The PathGen Charter

PathGen is an AI-enabled public-health intelligence platform designed to help countries detect, understand and respond to communicable disease threats faster and more securely.

PathGen brings together molecular, epidemiological and geospatial insights — including pathogen genomics, environmental signals, climate, mobility, scientific literature and health-system information — to generate timely, decision-ready intelligence for ministries of health, public-health agencies, laboratories and regional partners.

PathGen is founded on the principle that countries should be able to benefit from cutting-edge AI, genomics and digital technologies without giving up control of sensitive national health intelligence. Its purpose is to shorten the pathway from data generation to actionable insights while strengthening country ownership, regional cooperation, scientific integrity and public trust.

PathGen is founded as a public-good initiative. Its core surveillance and public-health functions are intended to serve collective health security. PathGen will be guided by six commitments:

Any revenue, surplus or mission-related income generated by PathGen should be applied in support of its public-health purpose and long-term sustainability, consistent with its Constitution and applicable law.

PathGen is designed around a sovereignty-first principle: countries should retain control over sensitive health data and decide how their data, analyses and resulting intelligence are accessed, used and shared.

Wherever practicable, PathGen should bring analytical capability to the data rather than moving sensitive data to a central platform. Secure in-country, privacy-enhancing approaches should be used where they best protect national requirements and public trust.

PathGen should support decision-makers with understandable, actionable outputs while maintaining appropriate security controls, role-based access, auditability, validation and human oversight. Technologies and governance arrangements should evolve as scientific capability, public-health needs and risks change.

PathGen will respect the rights, custody and control of countries, institutions and other legitimate data holders. Any sharing, secondary use or commercial use of sensitive surveillance data should occur only under appropriate legal, ethical and governance arrangements and with the required authorisation.

PathGen should provide a neutral institutional home for a shared public-health mission. It is not intended to be the subsidiary, agent, commercialisation vehicle or controlled affiliate of any one university, company, funder, country or founding partner.

PathGen depends on partnership. Countries, public-health institutions, universities, technical organisations, funders, multilateral organisations and other collaborators may contribute science, technology, implementation support, convening power, training, funding or advice. These contributions should be recognised while preserving PathGen’s independence and the distinct legal responsibilities and rights of participating institutions.

PathGen should maintain clear separation between stewardship of its public-good mission and the delivery of technical or operational services. Delivery partners should operate under transparent, accountable arrangements that protect country trust, scientific integrity, platform continuity and PathGen’s independence.

PathGen is both a public-health platform and a scientific engine. It should support research, innovation, validation and discovery that improve the use of pathogen intelligence for public health and contribute to the broader scientific community.

PathGen should create opportunities for public-health practitioners, laboratory scientists, researchers, students and trainees to build capability in genomics, bioinformatics, epidemiology, AI, data science and outbreak preparedness. Capacity strengthening should be embedded in country partnerships rather than treated as an afterthought.

Research collaboration should promote scientific quality, responsible publication, fair recognition of contributors and meaningful participation by researchers and institutions in the countries from which data and public-health questions arise. Data access, publication rights, intellectual property and research responsibilities should be governed through appropriate written agreements.

PathGen should pursue a sustainable model that allows its public-good functions to endure beyond individual grants or programmes. This may include subscriptions, service arrangements, grants, partnerships, licensing or other earned-income models consistent with its mission.

PathGen also recognises that its methods, software, analytics and scientific discoveries may create translational or commercial opportunities. Such activities may be pursued where they support sustainability, innovation or public-health benefit, but they must not compromise country trust, data sovereignty, scientific integrity, equitable access or PathGen’s institutional independence.

Commercial or translational activities should be appropriately separated from core public-health surveillance functions where needed to protect the public-good mission. Sensitive country-controlled surveillance data should not be used for commercial purposes without the required explicit authorisation and appropriate safeguards.

The pursuit of sustainability should strengthen, not dilute, PathGen’s purpose. Financial success, where achieved, should help expand public-health impact and access.