State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR

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State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR

Agency overview
Formed	1974; 50 years ago (1974)
Jurisdiction	Government of the Russian Federation
Headquarters	Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia 54°56′17″N 83°13′35.92″E / 54.93806°N 83.2266444°E / 54.93806; 83.2266444
Employees	1,614
Parent agency	Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing
Website	www.vector.nsc.ru

The State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR, also known as the Vector Institute (Russian: Государственный научный центр вирусологии и биотехнологии „Вектор“, romanized: Gosudarstvennyy nauchnyy tsentr virusologii i biotekhnologii "Vektor"), is a biological research center in Koltsovo, Novosibirsk Oblast, Russia. It has research facilities and capabilities for all levels of biological hazard, CDC levels 1–4. It is one of two official repositories for the now-eradicated smallpox virus,^[1][a] and was part of the system of laboratories known as the Biopreparat.

The facility was upgraded and secured using modern cameras, motion sensors, fences and biohazard containment systems. Its relative seclusion makes security an easier task. Since its inception there has been an army regiment guarding the facility.^[2][1]

At least in Soviet times the facility was a nexus for biological warfare research (see Soviet biological weapons program), though the nature of any ongoing research in this area is uncertain.

As of April 2022 the Vector Institute is the Russian site for the WHO H5 Reference Laboratory Network, which responds "to the public health needs arising from avian influenza A (H5N1) infection in humans and influenza pandemic preparedness."^[3]

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