The Department of Atomic Energy announced India's outstanding performance at the 37th International Biology Olympiad (IBO) 2026 held in Vilnius, Lithuania from July 12-19, 2026. All four Indian students won medals, achieving 1 gold and 3 silver medals among 307 participants from 78 countries competing in the event.
The Indian medalists were Bhavyaa Gunwal (Gold medalist from Mahendragarh, Haryana), Soumil Maity (Silver medalist from Howrah, West Bengal), Nishit Kalani (Silver medalist from Pali, Rajasthan), and Anmol Kumar (Silver medalist from Mansa, Punjab). The team was accompanied by leaders Prof. Rekha Vartak (Retired from HBCSE-TIFR, Mumbai) and Dr. Anupama Ronad (HBCSE-TIFR), along with scientific observers Dr. Ranjithsinh Devkar (M. S. University, Baroda) and Dr. Siddhesh Ghag (UM-DAE Centre of Excellence in Basic Sciences, Mumbai).
The IBO 2026 featured rigorous examinations designed by Vilnius University Life Sciences Centre. The practical examination spanned six hours across four specialized domains: Molecular Biology & Biochemistry (restriction digestion, agarose gel analysis, biochemical enzyme assay), Animal Physiology (evaluating aspirin pharmacokinetics using an in-house developed app and light box colorimeter), Animal Morphology & Systematics (insect specimen analysis and mouth-part dissections), and Plant Computational Biology (using ImageJ software for root length evaluation, macrophenotype analysis, and transcriptome analysis).
The theoretical examination consisted of two three-hour sessions with 100 challenging test items based on real-world research data, covering Cell & Molecular Biology, Plant & Animal Sciences, Genetics & Evolution, Ecology, Ethology, and Biosystematics. Overall, 31 gold, 61 silver, and 91 bronze medals were awarded at the competition.
This marks India's 26th appearance at the IBO, with historical performance showing 104 students achieving 17 gold medals, 69 silver medals, 17 bronze medals, and 1 honorable mention. Over the last ten years, India has maintained a 25% gold medal strike rate and 68% silver medal strike rate. The achievement was supported by the Biology Olympiad cell of HBCSE through orientation and pre-departure camps, with continued support from the National Steering Committee, teacher organizations, and Government of India funding agencies.