Why in news?

Union Home Minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for India’s first state-funded Bio-Safety Level 4 (BSL-4) containment facility in Gandhinagar.

Describing it as a “health shield” for the nation, he said the laboratory marks the start of a new era in India’s health security and biotechnology capabilities.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• About BSL-4 Facility
• Gujarat’s State-Funded BSL-4 Laboratory
• Existing BSL-4 and ABSL-4 Facilities in India
• India’s Expanding Biosafety Laboratory Network

About BSL-4 Facility

• A Bio-Safety Level 4 (BSL-4) facility represents the highest level of biological containment, designed to safely handle the world’s most dangerous and highly infectious pathogens, many of which lack effective vaccines or treatments.
• Operating under stringent international safety standards, these laboratories enable advanced research on deadly diseases, including the development of diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics, as well as rapid outbreak investigation and response.
• India’s upcoming BSL-4 laboratory in Sector-28 of Gandhinagar, along with an Animal Bio-Safety Level (ABSL) facility, will serve as a strategic national asset for research on some of the deadliest known pathogens.
• This will strengthen the country’s health security and bio-preparedness.

Gujarat’s State-Funded BSL-4 Laboratory

• The BSL-4 laboratory being built in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, will be India’s first fully state-funded and state-controlled BSL-4 facility and the second civilian BSL-4 research lab in the country.
• Spread over 11,000 sq metres and costing ₹362 crore, it is being developed under the Gujarat State Biotechnology Mission.
• Institutional Framework and Timeline
  • The facility will operate under the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre, which already houses a BSL-2+ laboratory and played a key role during the Covid-19 pandemic by sequencing the SARS-CoV-2 genome.
  • Planning for the BSL-4 lab began in mid-2022, with the foundation stone laid on January 13, 2026.
• Infrastructure and Safety Standards
  • The complex will include BSL-4, BSL-3, BSL-2, ABSL-4, and ABSL-3 laboratory modules, along with advanced utilities and support systems.
  • It is being developed in line with international biosafety guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, Department of Biotechnology, and Indian Council of Medical Research.
• Role in Disease Control and Vaccine Research
  • The lab will strengthen Gujarat’s and India’s capacity to respond in real time to outbreaks of deadly human diseases and zoonotic infections.
  • It will also support advanced research into diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics.
  • The ABSL-4 component will allow animal disease research and vaccine production using antibodies derived from animals—work that earlier required sending samples to ICAR–National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases.
• National Facility and Expert Oversight
  • The Department of Biotechnology has signed an MoU designating the lab as a national facility, ensuring guidance from expert institutions across India.
  • Officials note that the lab will remove long-standing bottlenecks caused by the lack of BSL-4 infrastructure in the country.

Existing BSL-4 and ABSL-4 Facilities in India

• Civilian BSL-4 Laboratories - India currently has only one functional civilian BSL-4 laboratory, located at the National Institute of Virology in Pune, Maharashtra. This facility handles research on the most dangerous human pathogens.
• Defence-Sector BSL-4 Facility - In late 2024, the Defence Research and Development Organisation established its own BSL-4 laboratory in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, under the Defence Ministry, expanding India’s high-containment research capacity.
• High-Security Animal Disease Laboratories
  • India has two major laboratories studying high-risk zoonotic diseases:
    • The National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (ICAR–NIHSAD) in Bhopal, currently rated ABSL-3+, with plans announced in June 2025 to upgrade it to ABSL-4.
    • The International Centre for Foot and Mouth Disease (ICAR–ICFMD) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, which operates with an ABSL-3Ag rating.
• Global Context
  • Officials note that globally about 69 BSL-4 laboratories are operational or under development, underscoring India’s relatively limited but gradually expanding presence in high-containment biological research infrastructure.

India’s Expanding Biosafety Laboratory Network

• As of March 2025, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, through the Department of Health Research, has approved 165 biosafety laboratories under the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDL) scheme.
• This includes 154 BSL-2 and 11 BSL-3 labs aimed at epidemic preparedness and disaster response.
• ICMR-Led Biosafety Facilities - Beyond VRDLs, the Indian Council of Medical Research has established 21 biosafety laboratories across its institutes, comprising 1 BSL-4, 8 BSL-3, and 12 BSL-2 facilities.
• Science & Technology–Supported Labs - Under the Department of Science and Technology, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation has funded 5 BSL/ABSL-3 laboratories through the Intensification of Research in High Priority Areas (IRHPA) programme.
• Biotechnology, Agriculture, and Industrial Research
  • The Department of Biotechnology has set up 26 biosafety laboratories across DBT institutes.
  • The Indian Council of Agricultural Research has established 9 biosafety laboratories.
  • The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research has created 11 biosafety laboratories across its network.
• Overall Picture
  • Together, these initiatives reflect a broad-based expansion of India’s biosafety infrastructure—anchored by BSL-2 and BSL-3 capacity—with targeted investments in high-containment labs to strengthen national preparedness for infectious disease threats.