The Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology, also known as NIAB, (Urdu: جوہری ادارہ برائے زراعت و حیاتیات) is a Pakistani agriculture and food irradiation national research institute managed by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission. It is located in Faisalabad, Punjab. Along with Nuclear Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the NIAB reports directly to the Islamabad-based PAEC Biological Science Directorate. The current director is Dr. Muhammad Hamed.
| Abbreviation | NIAB |
|---|---|
| Formation | April 6, 1972; 52 years ago (1972-04-06) |
| Type | Industrial and scientific research |
| Legal status | Institute |
| Purpose | Agriculture industrialization and food irradiation |
| Headquarters | Location |
| Location | |
Official language | English and Urdu |
Director | Dr. Tariq Mahmood |
| Affiliations | Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission |
| Website | www |
The NIAB was established by Ishrat Hussain Usmani when PAEC established its first Biological Science Directorate in 1965. In 1967, with the efforts led by dr. Abdus Salam, the Government approved a project, and Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission began its construction. The operations and research began in 1970, and it was officially inaugurated by Munir Ahmad Khan, then Chairman of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission, on April 6, 1972. Khan later developed the institute and led the research activities in the institution. The nuclear medical research was also put under Khan, and NIAB had developed 23 different crop varieties, which are high yielding; they are disease resistant and are being cultivated throughout the country[citation needed].
At first, the institute was mandate to create and maintain new genetic material for sustained agriculture development and to conduct research on applied problems in the field of agriculture and biology using nuclear and other related techniques.
The institute is equipped with well-equipped laboratories having facilities. The institute currently operates 60Co irradiation sources, gas chromatographs, Photo-documentation system, and atomic absorption.[1]