Jim's answer is nice and positive - and surprisingly naïve (Maybe he simply is a too nice guy to see the dark sides - contrary to me :)

Bear in mind I was attempting the answer the very specific question posed: "What possible positive outcomes are there?"
The negative uses and outcomes are pretty obvious, I should think.

I do believe it's a valid topic for positive research.
In effect, every pandemic starts with some bug gaining function, whether in the wild or by some bad actor.
It's probably good for good guys to learn a whole lot about that subject.

...Creating a very clear connection between 9/11 and government funding for virus research...
Hmmm, that seems to resemble the "post hoc ergo propter hoc" trap.
The ability for bad actors to do bad things with genetic engineering has increased a lot in recent years, so it's unsurprising that the funding has increased a lot.
As a proxy for the barriers to entry, check out the historical cost of sequencing a genome over time.
I don't think it's necessary to look for other more specious correlations. Sometimes a gene-edited cigar is just a cigar.

Jim