Date: April 2026 – August 2026
Country : Mongolia
IQLS is providing technical expertise to support Mongolia in developing the design specifications and procurement documentation for a Biosafety Level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory, helping lay the foundations for safe and sustainable high-containment laboratory services.
Working closely with UNICEF, Mongolia’s Ministry of Health and the National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD), the assignment aims to support national capacity for the safe diagnosis and management of high-risk pathogens. This first phase focuses on defining the laboratory’s architectural, engineering and biosafety requirements and preparing the technical documentation needed for further procurement, construction and commissioning. Work will be guided by the World Health Organization’s Laboratory Biosafety Manual, fourth edition, and its accompanying guidance on laboratory design and maintenance.
Effective laboratory design starts with a clear understanding of its intended use. IQLS’s biosafety and engineering specialists have reviewed available documentation and conducted a site assessment, working with national stakeholders to define laboratory functions, space requirements, equipment needs and personnel and material workflows. These findings inform a Basis of Design (BoD): the document setting out the laboratory’s functional requirements and the principles that will guide its detailed design. It will address layout and zoning, ventilation and filtration, utilities, safety systems and critical laboratory equipment.
The IQLS team brings together expertise in laboratory operations, biosafety and biocontainment engineering, including experience with high-containment facilities in cold climates. This complementary team will help shape recommendations adapted to Mongolia’s context.IQLS will translate the agreed requirements into a technical package to support future tendering and procurement. This will include specifications, performance requirements and acceptance criteria for the laboratory’s design, engineering systems and biosafety equipment, alongside expectations for future validation and commissioning.
Close consultation with UNICEF and national counterparts will help ensure that the documentation reflects local priorities and provides a clear basis for the next stages of development. A proposed NCCD-led technical working group will support national ownership and technical coordination, ensuring sustainability. Through this assignment, IQLS aims to help Mongolia establish a solid technical basis for a future BSL-3 laboratory and long-term national capacity.
