Established in 1984, the Institute of Microbial Technology (IMTECH) is one amongst the 38 national laboratories of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and is its youngest laboratory. Set-up to be a fore-runner in the area of Biotechnology, the Institute occupies an area of about 47 acres, of which the labs cover 22 acres and the residential campus, 25 acres. The Institute has a built up area of about 3.60 lakh sq. ft., is spread over five main buildings, the main R&D block (~2.00 lakhs sq. ft.), Fermentation block (~0.50 lakhs sq. Ft.), Animal House (~0.30 lakhs sq. ft.), Workshop, Stores and Services area (~0.50 lakhs sq. ft.), and Cafeteria (~0.10 lakhs sq. ft.). The Institute's primary asset is a team of 50 highly motivated young scientists, more than two thirds of whom are Ph.D.s with many having several years of training in world-renowned laboratories. Supported by more than 300 well-trained technicians and graduate students, these scientists are engaged in basic and application-oriented research.