IIT Delhi inaugurates Biosafety Level 3 research facility for academic and industry scientists

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) has launched a Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) research facility for highly infectious pathogens and microorganisms. The laboratory will be available to academic researchers as well as personnel from industry corporations.

The new facility at IIT Delhi aims to encourage research on diagnostic devices and therapeutics specifically for class-3 pathogens. This marks the first such initiative among the renowned educational institutions in India.

The new research centre at IIT Delhi will focus on helping startups and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME). These companies will be allowed to take their hardware and personnel inside the facility, supporting research without investment in specialised tools. Researchers can book the centre for a short-to-medium-haul on an assisted basis.

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IIT Delhi: Research facilities

The IIT Delhi research centre is located in the Micromodel Complex on the campus. The new facility has been inaugurated as a part of the institute’s Central Research Facility (CRF). The centre will be available to researchers on a paid basis as per CRF policy.

The research facility was inaugurated by Arvind Nema, the deputy director of operations at IIT Delhi . Other officials in attendance included Sandeep K Jha, faculty-in-charge of the BSL3 research facility, Sameer Sapra, head of CRF, Manidipa Banerjee, associate head of CRF, Neetu Singh, head of the Centre for Biomedical Engineering, and Ashok K Patel, KSBS, IIT Delhi.

“Unlike other such BSL3 facilities in India, this would mark the first time a user can take their medical device inside the unit and test it under the supervision of trained professionals having expertise in class-3 pathogen handling. This will enable hardware and software engineers to debug and fine-tune their diagnostic platform within the facility,” said Jha.