SSC
The National Institute of Virology (NIV) is located in:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option B — Pune
Detailed Solution
The National Institute of Virology (NIV) is located in Pune, Maharashtra. It is one of the major research institutes of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), under the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
NIV was founded in 1952 as the Virus Research Centre (VRC), with the support of the ICMR and the Rockefeller Foundation of the USA. It was renamed the National Institute of Virology in 1978. It is a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for arboviruses (viruses transmitted by arthropods such as mosquitoes and ticks) and haemorrhagic fever viruses, and a WHO H5 reference laboratory for avian influenza.
NIV has played a key role in identifying and studying many viral diseases in India, including:
Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD, "monkey fever") in Karnataka.
Japanese encephalitis, dengue and chikungunya.
Nipah virus outbreaks in Kerala (2018 onwards).
Avian influenza (bird flu) and Zika virus.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, NIV Pune was the first laboratory in India to confirm a case of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in January 2020, and it was the first to isolate the virus in India. It worked with Bharat Biotech, Hyderabad, to develop Covaxin, India's first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine. NIV has a Biosafety Level-4 (BSL-4) laboratory, the highest level of containment, for handling the most dangerous viruses.
Other important research institutes and their locations:
- Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB): Hyderabad.
- Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI): Lucknow.
- National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases (NICED): Kolkata.
- National Institute of Nutrition (NIN): Hyderabad.
- Haffkine Institute: Mumbai (founded in 1899 by Waldemar Haffkine for plague research).
- Central Research Institute: Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh), for vaccines and sera.
- Serum Institute of India, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, is also in Pune (a private company).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Hyderabad has the CCMB and the National Institute of Nutrition.
- ✗Lucknow has the Central Drug Research Institute.
- ✗Kolkata has the National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases.
Quick tip
Remember: NIV = Pune (ICMR, 1952), first to isolate SARS-CoV-2 in India, Covaxin with Bharat Biotech, BSL-4 lab; CCMB = Hyderabad; CDRI = Lucknow; Haffkine = Mumbai.
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Scientific Research Institutes & Organisations Questions
View all ›- Q1.The Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET) was the earlier name of:
- Q2.The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) of ISRO is located at:
- Q3.Dakshin Gangotri, Maitri and Bharati are India's research stations in:
- Q4.The National Informatics Centre (NIC), which provides IT support to the government, was established in:
- Q5.Which institute has developed an open-source tool called "IMPART" to monitor lake water surface temperatures?
More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
Scientific Research Institutes & Organisations — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Scientific Research Institutes & Organisations, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's scientific research institutes and organisations, such as BARC, ISRO, DRDO, CSIR and its laboratories, ICAR and ICMR, and specialised research centres for crops, animals, oceans and medicine, along with where they are located. Questions usually ask where an institute is located and what it researches. For example, BARC is in Mumbai, the Central Rice Research Institute is in Cuttack, and the National Institute of Oceanography is in Goa. A table of institute, city and field is the best way to revise this topic. Practise the research institutes questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.