ICMR-National Institute of Virology

The National Institute of Virology (NIV), located in Pune, Maharashtra, is a premier virology research institute functioning under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). It began in 1952 as the Virus Research Centre (VRC), established jointly by ICMR and the Rockefeller Foundation to study arthropod-borne viruses. The Rockefeller Foundation withdrew support in 1967, after which ICMR fully funded the institute. In 1978, due to its expanded scope, VRC was renamed the National Institute of Virology. NIV has been designated a WHO Collaborating Centre for arbovirus and haemorrhagic fever reference and research, and serves as the National Monitoring Centre for Influenza, Japanese encephalitis, Rota, Measles, Hepatitis, and Coronavirus. It has outstations in Bangalore, Kerala, and Mumbai, and conducts M.Sc. and PhD programs in Virology under Savitribai Phule Pune University. The institute's departments include Hepatitis, Influenza, Dengue & Chikungunya, Entomology, Bioinformatics, and BSL-3/BSL-4 facilities. NIV has made significant contributions such as discovering Kyasanur Forest Disease, confirming outbreaks of Japanese encephalitis and Chikungunya in India, isolating SARS-CoV-2 strains, and identifying 22 new viruses, along with numerous new arthropod and rodent species.