News - Information

New BSL-3 at Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences: 10 000 m2 with 8 BSL-3  & 13 ABSL-3 for rats & mice, guinea pigs, hamsters, ferrets, and monkeys. EIA dated 2023, estimated to operate in 2026.

21 October 2026

NB: In the EIA, the details of the labs are redacted with the mention "secret content removed"; No regulation in China requests BSL-3 to be csecret information.

New BSL-3 at Xiamen University, China, completed in 2023 & put into operations in 2024. The lab includes 3 BSL-3, 4 ABSL-3 including 2 rooms for small animals, 1 room for primates (monkeys), and an experimental room.

19 October 2026

https://jjc.xmu.edu.cn/info/1021/1511.htm

NB: In the EIA, details of the labs are redacted, without any mention (just blanked). Those details are not compulsory for public consultation.

New A/BSL-3 in South Korea. The new special labs are the largest biosafety facilities among universities. The labs includes research on high-risk pathogens, development of vaccines and treatments, identification of infectious disease mechanisms.

16 October 2026

New BSL-4 proposed in Gabon at the Centre international de recherches médicales de Franceville CIRMF. It covers assessment & modernisation of the existing 1990s P4 infrastructure, creation of a training centre & construction of a new P4 laboratory.

16 October 2026

New BSL-4 under construction in Singapore: Singapore Defense Science Organisation (DSO) National Laboratories is strengthening its capability to include a maximum containment laboratory BSL-4. Expected to TOP in 2026.

16 October 2026

New ABSL-3 in National Respiratory Medical  Guangzhou BioIsland. 7 ABSL-3: Animals are mice (about 6,000 per year), rats & guinea pigs (600 each), tree shrews & ferrets (120 each). Infection by aerosol exposure in the aerosol room or by nasal drops, intubation or injection.

On the same island there is also the BSL-3 of the Guangzhou customs, and a R&D lab of a BeiGene Guangzhou innovation center having  SPF mice and rats with capacity for about 60,000 mice and 1,500 rats per year. The cells are used for drug transport and uptake experiments. 

On the island all residents have moved out, and there are no homes, hospitals, schools. The only people living there are temporary lodgers in the Bio-Island International Apartments (2,000 people), the Shengjie service apartments (500) and the Xianglan Guanzhou Hotel (800 beds).

16 October 2026

Ethiopia National Reference Laboratory Project has 2 BSL-3 and multiple BSL-2 in Addis Ababa: Decontamination system: Liquid waste thermal treatment (autoclaving/EDS), and solid waste additional pre-treatment by Ecosteryl technology (microwaves).

15 October 2026

New BSL-3 at Foshan 4th people hospital, China. 4 BSL-3 conduct bacterial culture of Yersinia pestis, Bacillus anthracis & Mycobacterium tuberculosis. 4 ABSL-3 equipped with IVC rat cages conduct animal infection experiments on mice & other animals.

15 October 2026

New BSL-3 for 2027 at Tianjin Medical Health Research Institute in China. It includes 4 BSL-3 & 9 ABSL-3 (4 small-animal zones, each having 480 mice & hamsters, rats, guinea pigs, ferrets & 5 monkey zones of 8 monkeys each). ABSL-3 provides animal infection models.

15 October 2026

NB: in the EIA, the details of the labs are redacted with the mention "classified content" 涉密内容 ; No regulation in China requests BSL-3 to be classified information.

New BSL-3 at Shantou University, Guangdong, China; 800 m2 with 3 BSL-3,  5 ABSL-3, for the development of drugs, monoclonal antibodies, vaccines targeting infectious pathogens, & animal experiments. The new BSL-3 updates the university old BSL-2 lab.

11 October 2026

New BSL-3 planned at the 2nd Hospital of Hebei Medical University in China. The lab will include 2 BSL-3 and an animal P3 lab. A biobank will be established for virus isolation and other related work. 

11 October 2026

New BSL-3 planned at Shenzhen Academy of Medical Sciences: it will include a BSL-3 lab, an ABSL-3 lab, and a BSL-3 cryo-electron microscopy lab. Once constructed, it will be the 5th BSL-3 complex in Shenzhen. 

11 October 2026

Chinese company Qualia in Shanghai is proposing modular transportable BSL-3 & BSL-4 labs, as well as mobile BSL-3 & 4 labs.

11 October 2026

China National Institute for Food & Drug Control in Peking changed its name to China Institute of Drug Control, phase I has 3 ABSL-3 & 3 BSL-3, phase II is under construction, to be completed in 2028, will be equipped with microbiology building, animal house and cleanrooms.

10 October 2026

reference: https://www.163.com/dy/article/L8SVTO0L05456LW2.html

New BSL-3 planned at Kunming Medical University: ​​1060m2, 6 main labs A/BSL-3, isolation & culture of SARS-2, HIV, Mycobacterium tuberculosis etc... & etiological experiments. Animal models mice, rats, guinea pigs, animal experiments on drugs & vaccines. 

10 October 2026

https://www.kmmc.cn/Pages_252_55123.aspx

New BSL-4 lab in Taiwan: The newly built biosafety laboratory at the Ministry of National Defense's Pre-Medical Research Institute has entered the acceptance phase, & plan to be operational next year. It will be the second P4 laboratory in Taiwan

The National Defense's first P4 laboratory was made with equipment procured from France, and was officially put into operation in the early 1990s. Currently, the main facilities include 4 experimental buildings, 1 biosafety level 4 (P4) laboratory, 2 biosafety level 3 (P3) laboratories, 1 biological agent development center, 1 experimental animal center, and 1 mosquito vector research center. 

The new BSL-4 project started in 2018, and was due to be completed in 2026, contract issues with the turnkey contractor delayed the consruction one year. It is designed and constructed according to the Canadian Biosafety Standards. 

The old P4 laboratory will not be demolished after the new laboratory is completed, but will be retained for educational and training purposes.

8 October 2026

Irkutsk anti-plague Research Institute BSL-3 lab, 1st October 2026, fatal laboratory-acquired infection LAI; 197 contacts hospitalized for observation. 

25 September: alleged LAI (broken tube), 29 Septembre : hospitalised, night 1st to 2nd October: death. Pneumonic pest not confirmed. Pathogens agent still not disclosed. 5 hospitals quarantined. Mask required at nearby aluminium plant. Many different information circulating.

This is a human tragedy, and our thoughts are with those affected. At the same time, such an event underscores the vital importance of a strong laboratory safety culture.

IAEA’s nuclear safety culture requires an open culture in which people report errors. In France, the nuclear regulator provides the public’s right to reliable information on nuclear activities. The same should apply to biological research & biosafety.

4 October 2026

New BSL-3 & 4 at National Bio & Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Kansas faces delays due to technical issues on seals and air pressure.

11/11/2026

New BSL-4 equivalent lab: China will build a planetary protection lab inside Hefei's Deep-Space Science City, designed BSL-4 level to receive, quarantine, and study Martian material from the Tianwen-3 mission by 2031.

11/11/2026

Urumqi, June 8, 2026, (China News Service) -- The Northwest Center of the National Agricultural Biosafety Science Center was officially put into operation on June 7 at the Western Agricultural Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Changji City, Xinjiang.

 With a laboratory area of 12,000 square meters, the center is the second research platform in China and the first in Northwest China to possess high-level agricultural biosafety experimental capabilities. It will conduct research on monitoring and early warning of native pests, interception of invasive alien species, and biosafety evaluation of genetically modified organisms, thus strengthening the agricultural biosafety barrier in Northwest China.

 At the launch ceremony, Peng Huan, executive deputy director of the Northwest Center, disclosed the "15th Five-Year Plan" construction plan: by 2030, the P3 laboratory will be accredited, a cross-border pest "air-ground-space integrated" monitoring network will be built, research center created etc...

8 June 2026

Under design & pre EPC : The Orion complex in Brazil BSL-2, 3 & 4 labs, with imaging and microscopy systems. It will be the only laboratory in the world directly connected to an electron accelerator.

May 6, 2026

5th of May 2026, Inauguration of a new BSL-3 Lab at the University of Turin, Italy, Clinical Microbiology and Virology Laboratory.

South Korea opens largest BSL-3 & ABSL-3 special laboratories with a full-cycle platform for infectious disease responses & vaccine development. 

May 14, 2026

Construction of the new  BSL-4 in Canton, China, is progressing. The selection of the third party inspection   for  building energy and environment.     the project is located in  Guangzhou Foshan Industrial Park , lot 174 (west side, bleu part)

29 March 2026    

Pharmaceutical company GSK is building the first BSL-4 in Spain.

GSK has chosen its R&D centre in Tres Cantos (Madrid) to build what will be the first top-level biosafety laboratory (BSL-4) to be set up by a private industrial company in the world. It is part of an extension of its R&D center that is already equipped with BSL-3. 

14 February 2026

New BSL-3 in Changchun, Jilin province, China (in Manchuria) : Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory of Changchun Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd.

It has one BSL-3, 2 small animal ABSL-3 with 24 rat cages & 235 mouse cages, and one large animal ABSL-3 with life support system and 9 semi-open cages housing 36 experimental monkeys or dogs. 

22 January 2026

New BSL-4 in India starts construction: Laying "foundation stone of India’s second BSL-4 Bio-Containment Facility in Gandhinagar."

"At a cost of ₹362 crore, a vast complex covering 11,000 square metres is being built"

"There will also be world-class arrangements here to study diseases that are transmitted from animals to humans. "

"The BSL-4 Bio-Containment Facility will provide scientists with a platform to conduct research on infectious and deadly viruses in a safe environment"

13 Janauary 2026

The BSL-4 laboratory in Marburg, Germany, is being expanded. The Completion is planned for 2027. The new laboratory will have twice the floor space of the existing one". It responds to "a drastically increased number of R&D projects and new technologies".

5 January 2026

In a brand new CDC located at the east outskirt of Shenyang city, the BSL-3 passed the CNAS accreditation in December 2025, and will apply to National Health Commission for 5 highly pathogenic microorganisms. It will conduct isolation, culture & research & explore key issues such as virus transmission mechanisms and mutation patterns.

1 January 2026

China, Inner Mongolia Hohhot Customs P3 Lab: construction completed in August 2020,  CNAS accreditation & autonomous region's experimental animal permit in Sept 2023, and passes National Health Commission review in Dec 2025 

18 December 2025

Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. is expected to obtain CNAS certification and approval for its BSL-3s experimental activities in 2025. It will be the largest biosafety lab in China.

"The Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology's (SIAT) P3 laboratory will be the largest P3 laboratory in Shenzhen, with a building area of ​​10,092 square meters. It plans to construct 29 core P3 laboratory rooms, including 8 BSL-3 laboratories, 7 small animal ABSL-3 laboratories, 2 medium animal ABSL-3 laboratories, 3 non-human primate ABSL-3 laboratories, 4 arthropod containment level 3 (ACL-3) laboratories (one set), 3 dissection rooms, and 2 large equipment rooms."

10 Décember 2025

Spanish Ministry of Agriculture is investigating  the origin of the African swine fever (ASF) virus detected in wild boar near Barcelona. Genomic sequencing indicates that the strain is similar to the Georgia 2007, commonly used in research and vaccine-related studies. Among other lines of investigation for the cause of the outbreak, the IRTA CReSA (Animal Health Research Center) at Campus UAB Bellaterra (Barcelona), that has been studying ASF viruses, will be investigated; the CReSA has several BSL-3 referenced WOAH - World Organisation for Animal Health. The IRTA-CReSA BSL3 animal facility is dedicated to animal experimentation with pathogens of veterinary importance and public health relevance. Establishment of animal models for studies on pathogenesis, vaccine trials and immune monitoring are the main core research activities. 

IRTA CReSA facilities: 4 500 m2, 6 laboratories BSL-3, 12 independent experimental boxes

5 December 2025

Note: RTA-CReSA BSL-3 Biocontainement Building Expansion project was ongoing with 2 900m2 4 floors lab construction extension area, Phase I majority of excavations & civil works; This creates SIMOPS hazards (Simulatenours operations, the laboratory operating while construction works is ongoing); work award in July 2025.

10 December 2025

Emergence and characterization of historically extinct virulent genotype IV Newcastle disease virus in wild and domestic birds: genetic insights, pathogenicity, and vaccine efficacy | Journal of Virology 

4 december 2025

New Heilongjiang CDC BSL-3 laboratory has passed review and is operational. The new BSL-3 lab of the Heilongjiang CDC in Harbin, lay-out and location, with two main labs (on the right in the lay-out), one for cells and one for animals  The old BSL-3 layout had only one laboratory room, and cell preparations were carried out outside it. 

20 november 2025

The old BSL-3 is replaced by a new BSL-3; the Old BSL-3 layout had only one laboratory room, and cell preparations were carried out outside it, which created contamination risks. The old CDC BSL-3 has been constructed in 2005, and was obsolete: not compliant with 2008 standard, inproper lay-out, partition leaks, air handling, ducts, valves used & damaged, control system obsolete, electrical safety hazard, lack of independant wastewater treatment...

20 november 2025

China Henan's first ABSL-3 lab at Henan Agricultural University Level 3, construction project on going.It will be a large lab as the construction picture shows, 13 000sqm: full range large and small animal labs, an immunology lab, ABSL-3 and BSL-3 laboratories... 

14 november 2025

Harbin Veterinary Research Institute ABSL-4 lab , a solid scientific and technological defense line for the safety of the livestock industry, public health security and national biosecurity 

8 novemver 2025

Hualan Biological Vaccine Co in Henan, China, is building an R&D center from pathogens screening to vaccines prod. A BSL-3 and ABSL-3 labs have been built and passed the acceptance. 

29 October 2025

Opening of the 1st latin America BSL-4 (human viruses) at ANLIS Malbrán, Argentina. "preventing, detecting, and containing high-risk emerging diseases & potential health emergencies or natural or deliberate biological threats." 

22 October 2025

Tiankan Biotechnology Co. is a Chinese veterinary biotech company that built 3 ABSL-3 & 2 BSL-3 labs in North West of Urumuqi, East Turkestan (Xinjiang) in 2018, the project was put on hold in 2020 during Covid, and finally accredited by CNAS in 2022.  The lab works on various zoonotic infectious diseases; Risk has 4 categories: storage and transportation of hazardous substances, operation of hazardous substances, failure of key laboratory equipment, and treatment of laboratory waste containing pathogenic microorganisms.  Misoperation of various chemicals and pathogenic microorganism samples may cause leakage of hazardous substances. The lab operations may form aerosols containing pathogenic microorganisms, which diffuse to the outside and cause the escape of pathogenic microorganisms.  Equipment failures : sudden power outages, positive pressure in the biosafety cabinet, pinholes or gaps in the exhaust HEPA filter, failure of the detection system or automatic alarm system, and failure of the automatic interlocking shutdown system. Waste water and solid waste generated: If the disinfection and inactivation are not thorough, pathogenic microorganisms could spread outside.  The Tiankan Biotech P3 lab 2018 EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment report) specifies an aerosol risk zone of 3 km radius around the lab. 

30 April 2025

Wuhan Institute of Biological Products (WIBP) is affiliated to China National Biotec Group CNBG.  For COVID inactivated vaccine, WIBP built 3x1000m2 lab A/BSL-3 with appearant BSL-4 features such as life support system and positive pressure suits, stainless steels laser welded walls. Accordining to public information, Feb 2020, 3 animal houses were demolished, and 15 march ground breaking. The lab has been put into operation before April 2021. The construction of WIBP A/BSL-3 lab from ground breaking to operation in less  than 13 months is very fast, and presuppose possible reuse of an existing lab. 

July 2021

PS: date on the PPPS suite picture of July 1, 2020 is wrong; the real date of the picture is April 2021.  Mid 2020 WIBP procured 4 PPPS suites, same brand  as WIV's P4 ones. The new WIBP  lab has similar stainless steel walls as WIV's P4 ones, both WIV P4 and WIBP being located on the same campus Zhengdian park, Jiangxia, Wuhan.

Planned US military BSL-3 lab in Germany, close to the border with France. 

17 february 2025

"Galveston biolabs disclose mishaps that potentially exposed workers to infectious diseases". (In 2019 Galveston & Wuhan P4 had agreement on biosecurity.) 

7 February 2025

Texas Biomed has already a 120m2 BSL-4 lab, is one of the 10 BSL-4 in USA, has been operating since 1997, and is the only private one. It plans to build an extension with a new and bigger BSL-4. 

6 February 2025

Charles Perrow "Normal Accident" 1984 "The Biological Laboratories..have kept very low profile; we might hope this is because the extraordinary precautions that are needed to be taken.

20 November 2024

China Nanjing, Jiansu new CDC center project with [A]BSL-3 labs in  Jiangbei New District "To detect SARS-2, SARS, highly pathogenic avian influenza virus, HIV, Bacillus anthracis, polio virus, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, H7N9 influenza virus, Ebola virus" according to lab EIA. The lab environmental report highlights clearly the biosafety risks: outside contamination by gaseous or liquid contaminated effluents, as well as lab acquired infections.  in case of P3 lab HEPA filters alarm, the experiment should be stopped and an early warning should be sent to surrounding residents not to go out, and the ambient air quality should be monitored within the range of 50~200m downwind 

17 October 2024

New BSL-4 lab in China, construction started in 2023: Sun Yatsen University South China BSL-4 project, Guanzhou province. The project is located in Qingyuan City, Guangdong Province, with a construction area of ​​about 70,000 m2, including a biosafety laboratory building, an animal quarantine laboratory center, a scientific research center, etc.

10 October 2024

New project with ABSL-2, BSL-3 and one big and one small ABSL-3, approved in 2020 for Wuhan CDC center in south west of Wuhan, Guanlianhu Road, Junshan Street, Han Economic and Technological Development Zone, operational in  2023. The project complement the Wuhan CDC center with BSL-2 lab that was put under operation in 2019 to replace the old Wuhan CDC.

3 March 2023

The biopharmaceutical plant in Lanzhou, the capital city of Gansu province, used expired sanitizer and allowed live bacteria to seep into its exhaust between July and August 2019. 

4 December 2020