The National Public Health Centre on Friday said it will build a national security laboratory with the help of 12 billion forints (EUR 33m) support to be received under the human resources development operative programme.
The aim of the project is to develop, in addition to a laboratory offering the highest biological protection (BSL3/BSL4), a national security laboratory unique in Hungary and in central Europe which will offer an up-to-date environment and infrastructure for the diagnostics and research of dangerous pathogens, the statement said.
The laboratory to be equipped with state-of-the-art technology will speed up the identification of rare biological agents that are increasingly present in Hungary and this will enable faster and more targeted measures to protect the health of the public and indirectly protect the economy, it added.
The new infrastructure is expected to play a key role in Hungary and internationally in the research of new vaccines against dangerous pathogens, such as the coronavirus, the bird flu and the Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever, immunology research and in studying the course of diseases, the statement said.
The development project will involve building the premises for the new security laboratory, setting up the information technology system and procuring the new equipment required for operating the lab.