**Executive Summary**
The Indian team secured one gold and three silver medals at the 37th International Biology Olympiad (IBO) 2026, held in Vilnius, Lithuania, from July 12 to July 19, 2026. All four participating students medaled, competing against 307 students from 78 countries. This success highlights the effectiveness of the training provided by the Biology Olympiad cell of HBCSE and the continued support from the Government of India.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Performance and Personnel**
* **Medallists:** Bhavyaa Gunwal won Gold; Soumil Maity, Nishit Kalani, and Anmol Kumar each won Silver.
* **Team Leadership:** The team was guided by two leaders from HBCSE-TIFR and two scientific observers from M. S. University, Baroda, and UM-DAE Centre of Excellence in Basic Sciences.
* **Historical Success:** This was India's 26th appearance at the IBO, maintaining a ten-year strike rate of 25% for gold and 68% for silver medals.
**Examination Rigor**
* **Practical Exams:** A six-hour assessment covering four domains: Molecular Biology & Biochemistry, Animal Physiology, Animal Morphology & Systematics, and Plant Computational Biology.
* **Technical Tasks:** Students performed tasks such as restriction digestion, pharmacokinetic evaluation of aspirin, insect dissection, and complex transcriptome analysis using ImageJ software.
* **Theoretical Exams:** Two three-hour sessions featuring 100 challenging items focused on real-world research data and advanced problem-solving rather than simple recall.
**Organizational Support**
* **Training:** Students underwent orientation and pre-departure camps at the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE).
* **Institutional Backing:** The program is supported by the National Steering Committee, teacher organizations, and funding agencies of the Government of India.
**Impact Analysis**
**Participating Students**
**Impact**
Achieved international recognition and demonstrated high-level proficiency in complex biological experimental and theoretical tasks.
**Action Required**
Continue to engage with academic mentors and leverage the experience gained from international competition for future scientific pursuits.
**HBCSE and Biology Olympiad Cell**
**Impact**
The successful results validate their specialized training methodologies and pre-departure camp structures.
**Action Required**
Maintain the curriculum for orientation and training camps to sustain India's high "strike rate" in future competitions.
**Government of India and Funding Agencies**
**Impact**
The consistent medal wins justify continued financial and organizational investment in the Olympiad programme.
**Action Required**
Provide ongoing support to the National Steering Committee and teacher organizations to ensure the program's long-term sustainability.
Key Entities Referenced
37th International Biology Olympiad (IBO) 2026: The global secondary school biology competition held in 2026 where the Indian team secured one gold and three silver medals.
Department of Atomic Energy: The primary government department overseeing and issuing the announcement regarding India's participation in the international science olympiad.
Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education (HBCSE): The nodal institution responsible for training Indian students and conducting orientation and pre-departure camps for the Biology Olympiad.
Vilnius, Lithuania: The host location for the 37th International Biology Olympiad held from 12 July to 19 July 2026.
Department of Atomic Energy
Indian Team won 1 Gold and 3 Silver Medals at
the 37th International Biology Olympiad 2026 in
Vilnius, Lithuania
प्रव तथ: 19 JUL 2026 1:42PM by PIB Mumbai
Mumbai, 19th July 2026
India performed very well at the 37th International Biology Olympiad (IBO) 2026
held in Vilnius, Lithuania from 12 July to 19 July 2026, with all 4 students winning
medals – 1 Gold and 3 Silver.
The medallists were:
Bhavyaa Gunwal (GOLD) from Mahendragarh, Haryana
Soumil Maity (SILVER) from Howrah, West Bengal
Nishit Kalani (SILVER) from Pali, Rajasthan
Anmol Kumar (SILVER) from Mansa, Punjab
The team was accompanied by two leaders: Prof. Rekha Vartak (Retd. HBCSE-TIFR,
Mumbai) and Dr. Anupama Ronad (HBCSE-TIFR), and two Scientific Observers: Dr.
Ranjithsinh Devkar (M. S. University, Baroda) and Dr. Siddhesh Ghag (UM-DAE
Centre of Excellence in Basic Sciences, Mumabi).
There were 307 students from 78 countries in this year's IBO. In all 31 gold, 61
silver, and 91 bronze medals were awarded.
The IBO 2026 examinations pushed the boundaries of secondary school biology
through grueling exams expertly designed by the Vilnius University Life Sciences
Centre. The practical examinations, lasting six hours in total, required students to
tackle complex, hands-on experimental tasks across four highly specialized
domains. In the Molecular Biology & Biochemistry lab, students performed
restriction digestion and agarose gel analysis of plasmids alongside a biochemical
enzyme assay. The Animal Physiology lab had them evaluate the pharmacokinetics
of aspirin and quantify breakdown of the product in simulated blood samples using
an in-house developed app and light box colorimeter. The Animal Morphology &
Systematics lab required competitors to analyze the systematics of insect specimens
for classification, which included precise mouth-part dissections. Finally, the Plant
Computational Biology lab introduced cutting-edge digital analysis, tasking students
with utilizing ImageJ software to evaluate plant root lengths, perform high-
dimensionality macrophenotype analysis of distinct plant ecotypes, and conduct
complex transcriptome analysis.Complementing the practical section was an equally intense six-hour theoretical
examination divided into two separate three-hour sessions. The theory portion
featured 100 highly challenging test items that relied heavily on real-world research
data and field study analysis. Rather than testing simple recall, these questions
evaluated advanced problem-solving skills across the core biological sciences,
including Cell & Molecular Biology, Plant & Animal Sciences, Genetics & Evolution,
Ecology, Ethology, and Biosystematics.
We congratulate all the Indian students, and the rest of the Indian delegation for
this excellent performance. The teachers and mentors from across the country and
the Biology Olympiad cell of HBCSE deserve appreciation for training the students
during the orientation and pre-departure camps at HBCSE. We thank the National
Steering Committee, all the teacher organisations and the funding agencies of the
Govt. of India for their continued strong support of the Olympiad programme.
This was India's 26th appearance at the IBO. Of the 104 students so far, 17 have
received gold medals, 69 silver, 17 bronze, and 1 honourable mentions. In the last
ten years, the gold and silver strike rates have been 25% and 68%, respectively.
***
Harshal Akude/Parshuram Kor
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