Introduction

ICMR–National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, established in 1952 as the Virus Research Centre (VRC), is a premier institute of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) dedicated to the research, diagnosis and control of viral diseases of public health importance. Initially focused on arboviruses and their arthropod vectors, the institute made landmark discoveries in its early years, including Kyasanur Forest Disease virus (1957) and Chandipura virus (1965). Over time, NIV broadened its remit beyond arboviruses and was renamed the National Institute of Virology in 1978. Today, ICMR-NIV addresses the full spectrum of viruses of human and zoonotic importance with a strong One Health approach, integrating basic virology research, development of medical countermeasures, outbreak investigation, surveillance and pandemic preparedness.

Historically, NIV’s scientific contributions include identification and characterization of important viral pathogens detected in India over decades, such as Nipah virus (2001), SARS-CoV (2003), H1N1 swine flu (2009), Crimean–Congo haemorrhagic fever (2011), West Nile virus (2011), Zika virus (2016), SARS-CoV-2 (2020), mpox (2022), and spillover infections of H5N1 in humans and animals since 2024.

The institute houses a state-of-the-art Microbial Containment Complex (MCC) at its Pashan campus, comprising BSL-3 (established in 2005) and BSL-4 (established in 2012) facilities. This campus hosts India's only operational BSL-4 laboratory, serving as the national maximum containment facility for the safe handling and research of high risk pathogens. Currently ICMR- NIV is the country's premier centre for training and capacity building in biosafety, biosecurity, and high and maximum containment laboratory practices. It is also one of only two laboratories in Asia designated as a Polio Essential Facility (PEF), authorized to retain live poliovirus under the Global Action Plan following global polio eradication initiatives.

The institute gained even greater prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, when NIV played a pivotal role in the development of India’s indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, COVAXIN. The vaccine helped protect millions of human lives in India and was subsequently supplied to more than 50 countries, exemplifying India’s spirit of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”—the world is one family.

To support rapid field response, ICMR-NIV operates a mobile BSL3 laboratory for onsite diagnosis in remote or outbreak settings, and has recently expanded highperformance computing capacity (NAKSHTRA) to accelerate genomic surveillance and quick identification of viral variants.

As a national resource centre, ICMR-NIV provides training, validated reagents and technical support to the Virus Research & Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) network of 165 laboratories across the country, decentralizing diagnostics and reducing dependence on the Pune headquarters. Similarly, since 2024 NIV has served as the key resource centre for a national network for 23 BSL3 laboratories, leading capacity building and training for diagnosis of highrisk viruses during pandemics as a part of country’s preparedness. ICMR-NIV also supplies diagnostic kits for the diagnosis of dengue, chikungunya, and Japanese encephalitis to the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control (NCVBDC), which are distributed across the country to support laboratory diagnosis.

The electron microscopy (EM) facility at ICMR-NIV has played a pivotal role in the identification of novel viruses, particularly during the pre-PCR era, when virus identification relied largely on electron microscopy, as serum neutralization assays were difficult to perform for new viruses due to the lack of specific reagents. Today, EM continues to support the characterization of vaccine viruses and virus-like particles (VLPs) and enables the morphological identification of viruses in clinical specimens, complementing molecular diagnostics.

ICMR-NIV has a strong nationwide presence through its three long-standing field units at Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Alappuzha, which provide regional viral diagnostic services and support surveillance through national disease surveillance networks. To further strengthen national preparedness and accelerate outbreak response, four Zonal NIVs were established in 2022 at Jammu (North), Bengaluru (South), Dibrugarh (East), and Jabalpur (Central). These centres provide decentralized diagnostic services for high-risk viral pathogens, enabling rapid regional detection and response while reducing dependence on the Pune headquarters for high-containment diagnostic testing and virus handling.

ICMR-NIV Entomology Museum preserves India's richest collection of medically important vectors and reservoirs, serving as an invaluable national scientific resource on vector borne viral pathogens. The modernization and digitalization of this entomology museum would further strengthen One Health research, outbreak preparedness, and capacity building, while inspiring future scientists through interactive learning and ensuring long-term preservation of irreplaceable biodiversity and public health heritage.

The institute serves as a trusted national repository of authenticated virus strains, preserving invaluable biological resources and making them available to academia, research institutions, and industry to accelerate the indigenous development of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics. During 2025–26, ICMR-NIV supplied 27 viral strains to 18 institutions across the country, fostering scientific innovation, strengthening national self-reliance in biomedical research, and advancing the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-reliant India) and Viksit Bharat 2047.

The institute also runs broad outreach programs to popularize virology among school students through demonstrations on viruses, hygiene, vector biology and biosafety, and by inviting students to visit NIV laboratories on regular basis.

Consistently ranked among the top in 28 ICMR institutes over the past three years on metrics including publications, patents and technology translation, ICMRNIV remains a national linchpin for research, diagnostics, containment and capacity building in virology.