World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated Faridabad based Translational Health Science and Technology Institute (THSTI) as one of its regional training centres for biomanufacturing to address critical skills gaps across the biomanufacturing value chain globally.

The designation follows a rigorous global selection process conducted through two calls for expressions of interest and forms part of the WHO Biomanufacturing Workforce Training Initiative established in 2023.

THSTI, an institution established by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, is the only regional centre for the South-East Asia Region. The regional centres, designated across all six WHO regions globally, are expected to strengthen local workforce to enable countries to translate technological advances into sustainable local production of vaccines, biotherapeutics and other biological products.

THSTI’s Centre for Virus Research, Therapeutics and Vaccines is dedicated to understand how the tools, technologies platforms and knowledge can be harnessed to translate innovations in developing effective intervention strategies against viruses of biomedical importance. It focuses on viral pathogens dengue, Hepatitis E, HIV, Influenza, SARS-COV-2 (Covid) etc.

According to WHO, building a skilled biomanufacturing workforce is fundamental to advancing equitable access to health products and global health security. “By designating regional training centres across all WHO regions, we are investing in people and systems that enable countries not only to produce quality-assured essential health technologies, but to sustain and scale them,” said Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Systems, Access and Data. “This network reflects a strategic shift towards more resilient, geographically diversified manufacturing capacity, grounded in science and collaboration.”

The newly designated regional training centres will operate as part of a coordinated global network, delivering hands-on context-specific training aligned with regional priorities, regulatory environments and languages. By partnering with academia and industry, they will expand access to training, strengthen regional expertise and foster collaboration across countries, supporting the development of a skilled and sustainable workforce.

The chosen institutions in other regions are Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Senegal; Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Brazil, European Region: National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training, Ireland, Center for Continuing Professional Development, Egyptian Drug Authority, Egypt Western Pacific Region and  Peking University, China.

While operating independently, they will work in close collaboration with WHO and the Global Training Hub for Biomanufacturing (GTH-B) hosted by the Republic of Korea.