The stage is part of the structural part of Orion, a laboratory complex that will allow advanced research into pathogens
The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) will begin this Thursday (21) the foundation phase and pile installation for Orion, a laboratory complex for advanced research into pathogens which will include maximum biological containment facilities (BSL-4), unprecedented in Latin America, and the first in the world connected to a synchrotron light source, Sirius.
Orion is being built in connection with Sirius and will be the world’s first maximum biological containment laboratory connected to a synchrotron light source. (CNPEM Outreach)
Also on the 21st, CNPEM’s General Director, Antonio José Roque da Silva, Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory (LNBio) Director, Maria Augusta Arruda, and the Deputy Director of Infrastructure (DAI ), Sérgio Marques, will be available from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. to answer questions from the press about the project, Orion’s scientific program and impacts on the health sector, and about the construction phase and the infrastructure of the Orion building, respectively. The construction site will also be open for image recording from 3 p.m. on the same day.
Foundations are the stage that prepares the ground to receive buildings in a stable and safe manner. These are where the structural elements that will support the building will be fixed. Before the piling began, the necessary tests were carried out by the teams involved in the construction of the laboratory complex.
The foundation stage is expected to be completed by the end of this year. From the beginning of 2026, the assembly of the structure and roofing system will start, marking the beginning of construction of the visible part of the building.
In the artistic concept, an image of the Orion building — an infrastructure that will have four floors. (CNPEM Outreach)
“Before the foundations were laid, work on the Orion site underwent an essential phase of excavation and earthmoving, which began in May 2024, with the removal of approximately 40,000 m³ of soil to reach the required depth for the future infrastructure subsoil. This preparatory stage, in addition to ensuring adequate structural conditions, creates the foundation for the subsequent construction of strategic areas—such as warehouses, loading systems, electrical and IT installations, stockrooms, and boilers for the thermal treatment of effluents. All this work was conducted in harmony with the continued operation of Sirius, whose most sensitive beamline lies in the immediate vicinity of Orion”, says Sérgio Marques.
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Luciana Santos, celebrates the milestone and projects the impacts of the scientific infrastructure for the country. “The beginning of the foundations of Orion represents a historic milestone for Brazilian science. We are talking about a maximum biological containment laboratory (BSL-4), unprecedented in Latin America and which will place the country at a leadership level, being the first in the world connected to a synchrotron light source, Sirius. The laboratory will be essential for the development of research in areas such as biosafety, public health and pandemic control. This project, which is part of the New PAC, shows how investments in science and technology are being treated as a priority by President Lula’s government. This initiative is a concrete example of how the PAC transforms resources into strategic projects capable of impacting people’s lives”, highlights.
The CNPEM General Director highlights that the beginning of the foundations marks the transition from the excavation and site preparation stages to the structural phase of Orion.
“Reaching this stage is the result of intense planning work, which involved reconciling solutions between different centers and areas of knowledge. This effort allowed us to move forward with the foundations with a much more mature and optimized project, ensuring that execution occurs more efficiently. It is a landmark moment, which continues the transformation that began with the excavations and leads us to advance to the structural phase of Orion”, highlights Antonio José Roque.
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).
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).
