The training was offered to researchers from Hungary’s National Laboratory of Virology at the University of Pécs in order to develop international standards for training in high-level and maximum biological containment environments
Legend: Group from Hungary’s National Laboratory of Virology receives BSL-3 training in
CNPEM’s training lab (Photo credit: Outreach/CNPEM)
The Brazilian National Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) has offered its first international training session on high-level biological containment environments through its BSL-3 Laboratory Training and Qualification Program. The training was held from February 23 to 26 for researchers from the National Laboratory of Virology (VNL) at the University of Pécs in Hungary.
This initiative is part of activities in preparation for project Orion, a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research that will include Latin America’s only maximum biological containment facilities (BSL-4) and the first labs of this kind in the world connected to a synchrotron light source, Sirius, via three beamlines.
Even before Orion is inaugurated, CNPEM is already carrying out a structured human resources training program to develop skills that are not yet widespread in Brazil or Latin America. The goal is to empower future users of the scientific infrastructure and strengthen teams that already work in pathogen research.
Participating in the training were VNL director Gabor Kemenesi, post-doctoral researchers Zsofia Lanszki and Brigitta Zana, and PhD student Krisztina Rebeka Leiner.
According to Kemenesi, participating in the training at CNPEM directly contributes to the training program currently being developed at the University of Pécs in Hungary. The scientists’ experience in the training laboratory, which permits systematic practice of procedures in a dedicated environment, has been fundamental to consolidate protocols, operational routines and biosafety guidelines that will orient implementation of this program in the Hungarian lab.
According to CNPEM Biosafety Manager Tatiana Ometto, the training is intended to fill a gap related to the lack of established international standards for biosafety training. “The partnership highlights CNPEM’s commitment to international best practices and to work on the cutting edge of scientific knowledge in biosafety, in line with the strategic role that Orion will play in global science. These activities reinforce and expand scientific cooperation between Brazil and Europe,” she added.
The collaboration between CNPEM and VNL involves several different fronts. In late 2025, a member of CNPEM’s biosafety team carried out a BSL-4 laboratory training in Hungary, and more training sessions are planned. Meanwhile, in the area of research the partnership is also growing stronger. According to CNPEM’s lead Virology researcher, Rafael Elias Marques, the collaboration is strategic for scientific advancement and preparing for health emergencies. “We have established this partnership with two major focuses: training and joint research. It is an exchange of practices and knowledge that ranges from the discovery and characterization of new viruses to the use of advanced imaging technologies available at CNPEM.”
Elias also notes that the initiative is directly connected to the objectives of the Orion project: “This collaboration helps strengthen preparation for future epidemics and pandemics while simultaneously establishing CNPEM and VNL as strategic partners in this global scientific effort.”
Hungary’s National Laboratory of Virology at the University of Pécs is home to some of the most advanced infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe, with the only BSL-4 laboratory in the region dedicated exclusively to research. Cooperation with CNPEM reinforces the integration between Brazil and Europe as part of a scientific agenda focused on biosafety and global health.
BSL-4 laboratory at Hungary’s National Laboratory of Virology,
at the University of Pécs ( Photo credit: VNL/University of Pécs)
Project Orion
Project Orion will be a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research, and will include Latin America’s first maximum biological containment level facilities (BSL-4), the only labs of this kind in the world connected to a synchrotron light source, Sirius. Currently under construction in the city of Campinas, São Paulo on the CNPEM campus, this project will combine analytic techniques and advanced competencies in bioimaging which will be open to the scientific community and public agencies. By permitting advances in knowledge on pathogens and related diseases, Orion will support health surveillance activities and policies, as well as the development of diagnostic methods, vaccines, treatments, and epidemiological strategies. Orion will support national sovereignty in facing health crises, and has the potential to benefit various areas such as health, science and technology, defense, and the environment. The implementation of Project Orion is overseen by the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), a social organization linked to the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI). The project is part of the federal government’s New Growth Acceleration Program (PAC) and funded with resources from the National Scientific and Technological Development Fund (FNDCT) and MCTI, with support from the Ministry of Health (MS). This initiative is part of the federal government’s New Industry Brazil (NIB) stimulus policy and will serve as an instrument of national sovereignty, competence, and security in the fields of science and technology for research, defense, and human, animal, and environmental health. Orion was also planned to strengthen the Health Economic-Industrial Complex (CEIS), an initiative coordinated by the Ministry of Health and intended to meet priority demands from the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS).
About CNPEM
The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) is home to a state-of-the-art, multi-user and multidisciplinary scientific environment and works on different fronts within the Brazilian National System for Science, Technology and Innovation. A social organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), CNPEM is driven by research that impacts the areas of health, energy, renewable materials, and sustainability. It is responsible for Sirius, the largest assembly of scientific equipment constructed in the country, and is currently constructing Project Orion, a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research. Highly specialized science and engineering teams, sophisticated infrastructure open to the scientific community, strategic lines of investigation, innovative projects involving the productive sector, and training for researchers and students are the pillars of this institution that is unique in Brazil and able to serve as a bridge between knowledge and innovation. CNPEM’s research and development activities are carried out through its four National Laboratories: Synchrotron Light (LNLS), Biosciences (LNBio), Nanotechnology (LNNano), Biorenewables (LNBR), as well as its Technology Unit (DAT) and the Ilum School of Science — an undergraduate program in Science and Technology supported by the Ministry of Education (MEC).
