RIVM may have to close outdated Bilthoven virus labs after park manager flags outbreak risk
What's the deal? The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) may have to close its laboratories for research on highly contagious pathogens at Utrecht Science Park Bilthoven.
The park manager's letter: According to a letter from park manager Stichting-Alt, obtained by Het Financieele Dagblad, the buildings are so outdated that the manager no longer considers it responsible to keep them open. The letter, as reported by the FD, says the risks of so-called BSL-3 activities are rising, and that a virus outbreak would require evacuating the entire site, where more than 4,000 people work. Stichting-Alt is pressing RIVM to find an alternative location even if the Utrecht building is not ready, and says a suitable fallback site exists on the Bilthoven campus itself.
The delayed move: RIVM has been based in Bilthoven since 1953 and was due to move to a new building at Utrecht Science Park, formerly De Uithof, on the east side of Utrecht. That project, which is also intended to house the Medicines Evaluation Board (CBG), has been delayed for years by technical problems, including the electricity supply, security systems and updates to meet changed regulations. Vibrations from the nearby A27 motorway and tram line have also disrupted highly sensitive laboratory equipment at the new site. The new building has already cost more than EUR 600 million and, twelve years after the tender, is still not ready for use, the FD reported, with subsequent coverage by AD, RTV Utrecht and NOS.
RIVM's response: An RIVM spokesperson confirmed to those outlets that a further delay is likely. The move had been expected to start by the end of 2026. The spokesperson now says that will "clearly" not happen, and it is not known when the institute can relocate. RIVM's lease in Bilthoven runs until the end of 2027. RIVM said it wants to move as quickly as possible, but only in a responsible way, and stressed that the safety of staff and the surrounding area is continuously monitored.
Earlier incidents: The park manager's concerns, as reported by the FD, also refer to earlier incidents. RIVM received three penalty payments of EUR 5,000 after prohibited waste substances were found in wastewater pits. The institute says no new exceedances have been recorded since November 2025. In 2024 there was a fire or smoke incident on the wooden roof of an RIVM building, with no injuries.
Project history and costs: Talks on a new RIVM building at Utrecht Science Park began around 2011, and completion was originally planned for 2018. NOS reported in September 2026 that the building had been delivered in April 2026, but that the move was postponed again because grid congestion in Utrecht meant gas generators and a large battery pack had to be installed. Sicco Louw, RIVM's director of operations, told RTV Utrecht that the institute had not planned generators for what was meant to be a fully sustainable building, and that the labs cannot be left without a guaranteed power supply. In a 10 December 2024 letter to parliament, health minister Fleur Agema said delays had already added EUR 136 million to the project cost, including EUR 82 million from three disputes with contractor MEET Strukton over vibration-proofing and tighter World Health Organization requirements.
Sources: Het Financieele Dagblad, 11 November 2026
AD
RTV Utrecht
NOS
NOS, 9 September 2026
Kamerbrief, 10 December 2024
