Morocco is planning to establish a Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) diagnostic facility capable of supporting its long-term animal health surveillance and disease response efforts.
The project brings together Morocco’s National Office for Food Safety (ONSSA), UK Pirbright Institute, Bioprevail and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) to shape the next stage of development of ONSSA’s Casablanca Regional Laboratory for Analysis and Research.
It is spearheaded by Bioprevail, an initiative hosted by the Global Health Security Fund in Geneva, with the support of Global Affairs Canada’s Weapons Threat Reduction Program.
Specialists from The Pirbright Institute support plans to advance the existing diagnostic laboratory in Morocco for high-containment work, part of an international collaboration to strengthen animal health and disease preparedness in the country.
The project is expected to deliver a validated design package tailored to the Moroccan laboratory’s local needs and operating conditions, helping to ensure the laboratory is resilient, sustainable and equipped to meet future challenges. Work began in September 2026 and is expected to conclude in January 2027.
Diagnostic laboratories play a vital role in detecting and responding to diseases affecting animals, food systems and people before they become widespread outbreaks. However, facilities are often designed without fully considering local requirements such as workflows, infrastructure limitations and long-term maintenance needs. When these factors are overlooked, laboratories can become more difficult and costly to operate safely.
To address this, the project is using BioPREVAIL’s Participatory Laboratory Design Methodology, which places laboratory users at the center of the design process. The approach gathers evidence from day-to-day operations and translates these findings into practical design requirements for architects and engineers.
Experts from Pirbright are part of the project’s Technical Experts Group alongside WOAH. During the current operational and technical diagnostic phase, they have worked with ONSSA colleagues in Casablanca to observe laboratory activities, map workflows from sample arrival to waste disposal and identify operational challenges. Their findings will help shape the design recommendations developed over the coming months.
Through its expertise in high-containment laboratories, animal disease diagnostics and international capacity strengthening, Pirbright is helping ensure the Moroccan facility is designed to meet both current and future needs.
Dr. Carrie Batten, Head of the Non-Vesicular Reference Laboratory (NVRL) at Pirbright, said: “This collaboration reflects the importance of international partnerships in strengthening diagnostic capacity and improving preparedness for animal disease outbreaks, which can have significant impacts on food security, livelihoods and global health in North Africa and Europe.”
The Pirbright Institute is a world-leading research and innovation dedicated to the study, surveillance, and control of viral diseases in farm animals and zoonotic viruses that can spread from animals to humans.
Bioprevail (Biological Preparedness and Resilience through Evolution and Innovation of Laboratories) is a global health security initiative that reinvents how diagnostic containment laboratories are designed, built, and operated—especially in resource-constrained environments.
