New Biotechnology 40 (2018) 76–81

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

New Biotechnology
j o u r n a l h o m e p ag e : w w w . e l s e vi e r . c o m / l o c a t e/ n b t

Review

Recent biotechnology developments and trends in the Russian Federation

Alina Osmakovaa, Michael Kirpichnikova,b, Vladimir Popova,c,d,*
a
Russian Technology Platform “Bioindustry and Bioresources”, 119071, Moscow, Leninskiy pr. 33, Build. 2, Russia
b Biological Department, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991, Moscow, 1-12 Leninskie Gory, Russia
c
Federal Research Center “Fundamentals of Biotechnology” of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskiy pr. 33, Build. 2, 119071 Moscow, Russia
d National Research Centre “Kurchatov Institute”, 123182, Moscow, Akademika Kurchatova pl., 1, Russia

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Article history:
Available online 17 June 2017 This paper addresses recent government initiatives in biotechnology and various federal and regional initiatives. It presents an
overview of the most visible industrial biotechnology projects under implementation and highlights changes in legislation
affecting development of the bioeconomy in the Russian Federation.
Keywords:
Russian Federation © 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Bioeconomy
Industrial biotechnology
Agrobiotechnology
Legislation

Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Results and discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
BIO2020–a roadmap of biotechnology development in Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Instruments available for R&D and business development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
R&D support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Innovations and business development ........................................................
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Major current trends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Legislation and standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Regional initiatives and major biotech projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Selected biotechnology projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
Acknowledgement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Introduction construction of industrial enterprises. A number of research institutions

specializing in biotechnology research (e.g., State research and development
In the late 1980s to the early 1990s, the USSR was second to the USA in institute of protein synthesis (VNII-Syntezbelok), State research institute of
the development of microbiological industry and pioneered many areas now genetics and selection of industrial microorganisms (VNIIGenetika) and
directly relevant to the concept of bioeconomy. The special ministry many others) comprising world-renowned scientists supported the industry.
“Glavmikrobioprom” coordinated all aspects of industrial biotechnology
development in the USSR, from R&D to The USSR actively contributed to the substitution of biological products
for chemical ones and was self-sufficient in a majority of the most important
biotech products, including essential amino acids, vitamins and industrial
enzymes, among others. A technol-ogy yielding single-cell protein from
* Corresponding author at: Russian Technology Platform “Bioindustry and Bioresources”,
119071, Moscow, Leninskiy pr. 33, Build. 2, Russia. hydrocarbons (oil and/or natural gas) was developed and implemented on the
E-mail address: vpopov@inbi.ras.ru (V. Popov). industrial

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nbt.2017.06.001 1871-
6784/© 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V.
 A. Osmakova et al. / New Biotechnology 40 (2018) 76–81 77

scale. Twelve plants producing high-quality microbial protein for feed were
under operation. Five plants produced various enzyme preparations. More
than 40 plants producing ethanol from cellulose (wood and wood waste) were
supported by six R&D institutions. However, the acid hydrolysis technology
used was environmentally unfriendly and resulted in environmental degra-
dation in some areas of the country, e.g., near Lake Baikal.
Thus, the USSR had a well-developed and flourishing biotech-nology
industry and by 1990 contributed >3% of global biotech production.
However, market economic reforms of the early 1990s had a disastrous effect
on the Russian economy, and biotechnology was no exception. Nearly all
manufacturing enterprises stopped, equipment was dismantled and high-
quality personnel were dismissed. Over several years, Russia was transformed
from an exporter to an importer country and became very dependent on
supplies of major biotech products from other leading economies. In modern
Russia (beginning of 2010s), compared to the USSR, the production of key
biotech products decreased as follows: 6-fold for enzymes, 10-fold for plant
protection agents, 12-fold for antibiotics and 25-fold for feed protein. Imports
amounted to >50% of feed and veterinary antibiotics, 50–100% of food
additives, 80% of amino acids, 80% of industrial enzymes and 100% of
vitamins. The share of the Russian biotech production decreased to 0.1% of
global totals, while the share of Russia in global consumption of biotech
products amounted to 1.5%. The decline in biotechnology was much more
profound compared to the overall performance of the Russian economy,
which currently amounts to 2.8% of the global output. All major biotech
international brands are currently present in the Russian market. However, no
single foreign producer has localized production to Russia by launching a
local manufacturing facility.
sources, there is a high demand for rapid development of the biotechnology
complex in the Russian Federation. Furthermore, due to specific features of
Russia (e.g., territory size, low population density in the eastern part of the
country, tendency for depopulation), the bioeconomy is of particular social
significance as a means of consolidation of the working-age population in
remote and rural areas. It provides sustainable local power sources relying on
regional resources, contributes to the creation of new jobs, efficiently solves
environmental issues and offers radically new opportunities for tackling
public health problems.
It should be noted that Russia has everything necessary for bioeconomic
development. Russia has unique natural resources: nearly unlimited resources
of renewable biomass, freshwater (Lake Baikal contains over 20% of the
world’s freshwater resources), fertile arable land (Russia contains
approximately 10% of the world’s arable land) and forest resources (the total
area of forestation in the Russian Federation in 2010 was 906 million
hectares, which is approximately 24% of the world's forests). Russia also has
highly qualified personnel and internationally recognized scientific schools.
Thus, in a post-petroleum world, Russia can be expected to remain a leading
exporter of renewable raw materials and products manufactured from these
sources.
It should be emphasized that it is impossible to upgrade the technological
basis of modern industry without widespread application of biotechnology
and biotechnological products. Moreover, for some industrial sectors
(agrifood sector, forest sector, chemical and petrochemical industrial
subsectors, phar-maceutical industry and biomedical healthcare sector), this
modernization will mean a transfer to biotechnological methods and products.

Biotechnology, nanotechnology and ICT, are considered the main drivers
of the transition to the new economy of the 21st century. Global challenges
such as depletion of natural resources, climate change, population increase
and environmental pollution require sustainable development strategies.
Leading economies are preparing for a future world “without oil”. Many have
already put forward ambitious programmes of biotechnology develop-ment
and have initiated or are preparing for their implementation [1–6].
Thus, the importance of biotechnology for the development of the Russian
economy cannot be overemphasized. Due to the necessity of promoting long-
term sustainable development of the social sphere and national economy and
the threat of the possible loss of traditional markets by gradual replacement of
the main export commodities of the country with products from renewable
Results and discussion
BIO2020–a roadmap of biotechnology development in Russia
By the end of the 2000s, it became evident that the lag behind leading
world powers in the development of the biotechnological sector was
detrimental to modernization of the Russian economy and even threatened
national security. No single high-level document existed at the time outlining
the goals, aims and prospects of biotechnology development in the Russian
Federa-tion. The situation was quite critical and required urgent intervention.
To boost R&D and innovation and make business more adaptive to new
technologies, the government initiated the start-up of a number of technology
platforms (TP), adopting the idea and

Table 1
Main programme documents regulating the development of biotechnologies in the Russian Federation.

Document Reference
1 Comprehensive Program for Development of Biotechnology in the Russian Federation through 2020, adopted by the Resolution of the Government of the [7]
Russian Federation No. 1853p-P8, April 24, 2012.
2 State programme “Development of agricultural industry and regulation of the markets of agricultural products, raw materials and food for 2013–2020”, adopted by the
Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 717, July 14, 2012
3 Action Plan for Development of Biotechnologies and Genetic Engineering (“Roadmap”), adopted by the Resolution of the Government of the Russian [8]
Federation No. 1247-p, July 18, 2013
4 Prognosis of scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation (to 2030); special section dedicated to biotechnology (2014) [9]
5 “Industrial biotechnologies” subprogramme of the state programme “Development of Industry and Increase of Its Competitive ability till 2020” adopted by the Resolution of the
Government of the Russian Federation N328, April 15, 2014)
6 National standard on “Products of organic production. Guides for manufacturing, storage and transportation”, GOST R 56508-2015
7 Decree of the President of the Russian Federation 642 on Strategy of the Scientific and Technological Development of Russia till 2030, December 1, 2016 [12]
8 Prognosis of scientific and technological development of agriculture of the Russian Federation (to 2030), report of Russian Minister of Agriculture Alexander Tkachyov,
December 13, 2016.
9 Decree of the President of the Russian Federation 350 “On measures for realization of the state scientific and technical policy for the benefit of [10]
development of agriculture”, July 21, 2016
78 A. Osmakova et al. / New Biotechnology 40 (2018) 76–81
general setup from well-known European TPs. Three such TPs in the area of
life sciences were established in 2010 at the federal level by the order of the
Prime Minister—“Bioenergy and Bioresources (BioTech2030)”, “Medicine of
the Future” and “Bioenergy”—and have proven indispensable in the
development of the biotech agenda in Russia. These TPs united efforts in
promoting the bioeconomy in Russia and succeeded in bringing the problem
into public focus. In April 2011, the government ordered drafting of the
“Program of development of the biotechnologies in the Russian Federation
(BIO2020)” [7], stimulated by the appearance of national biotechnology
programmes in the US and EU during the same period. The Russian
programme was compiled under the auspices of the Ministry of Economic
Development with the active participation of the life science TPs;
BioTech2030, which was endorsed by the Prime Minister on April 24, 2012,
played a leading role.
BIO2020 puts forward the following main goals: to initiate bioeconomic
development in Russia; to support new economic sectors associated with
industrial biotechnology; to initiate important changes in legislation and
standards; and to stimulate and develop already existing priority market
sectors for biotech products, namely agrobio and food. The strategic goal of
the programme is very ambitious: for the bioeconomy to reach 1% of GDP by
2020 and 3% of GDP by 2030.
The BIO2020 strategy was followed by a number of high level documents
and decisions in the areas of biotechnology and bioeconomy (Table 1). The
most important among them was the establishment of a special
interministerial steering group on biotechnology development chaired by the
Deputy Prime Minister to coordinate all activities and initiatives in the field
and the adoption of the Roadmap “Development of biotechnology and genetic
engineering” (July 2013) [8] and “Prognosis for Scientific and Technological
Development of Russia to 2030” with a special section dedicated to
biotechnology (2014) [9]. In February 2014, the Presidium of the Presidential
Council for Economic Moderni-zation and Innovative Development under the
chair of the Prime Minister adopted a number of important decisions and
measures aimed to support biotechnology development in Russia, including
the support of R&D. More recent government documents directly affecting
the biotechnology area include a Complex target programme for the Russian
Federation: “R&D support for activities in creating domestic crop and
livestock gene banks and plant protection products in order to promote
competitive agricultural production by Russian producers and in developing
technologies for cultivation and storage of such products for 2016–2025”
[10], legislation regulating turnover of genetically modified organisms (2016)
[11] and the “Strategy for the Scientific and Technological Development of
Russia to 2030” (2016) [12].
Instruments available for R&D and business development
R&D support
Until recently, the lion’s share of R&D funding in the Russian Federation
came from the state. Business is not as active in supporting R&D as in other
technologically developed countries and contributes (by different estimates)
only 10–25% of R&D costs, compared to >50% in leading economies.
Biotechnology is not an exception. Fundamental research in Russia is mainly
concentrated within the institutions of the Russian Academy of Science;
universities, with the exception of leading schools such as Lomonosov
Moscow State University, still play a minor role. In addition to direct budget
subsidies channelled to scientific research institutions and universities, R&D
support is provided through specialized government foundations such as the
Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), Russian Science Foundation
(RSF) and grant funding offered by the Ministry of Education and
Science. A number of specialized programmes and grants in the field of
biotechnology have been launched by these funding bodies over the past few
years. These include specialized calls for industrial and agrobio-technologies
and food sciences. Through the Ministry of Education and Science, Russia
supports the participation of Russian teams in all areas of Horizon 2020
activities, as well as bilateral specialized calls (e.g., the German-Russian grant
programme on industrial biotechnology). The Russian Fund for SME support
participates in a number of ERANets in the area of biotechnology.
Innovations and business development
Modern Russia has a well-developed environment for promot-ing
innovation and supporting start-ups. Institutions such as RosNano, Skolkovo
Foundation and the Agency for Strategic Research have radically changed the
innovation landscape over the past decade. Red pharma biotechnologies were
of course the major and primary emphasis of these foundations in the area of
life sciences. However, in recent years the scope of activity and mandates of
these organizations has been adjusted to consider recent government
initiatives in support of agrobiotech.
The Skolkovo Foundation, which was established in 2010 with the major
goal to create a sustainable ecosystem of entrepreneur-ship and innovation,
widened the mandate of its Biomedical division to include
agrobiotechnologies in a major step towards diversification of the
bioeconomy. Renewable energy was always on its agenda. This trend was
followed by the other innovation pillar, RosNano, which also expanded its
mandate to support biotech projects.
A major breakthrough came after the Presidential address to the
Parliament in December 2014, where the President called for a National
Technology Initiative (NTI) [13]. NTI, with a planning horizon up to 2035,
will include systemic solutions for the definition of key enabling technologies
to ensure a Russian presence in the global markets of the future, as well as
necessary changes to rules, regulations and effective measures of financial and
human resources development to achieve the set goals. NTI is targeting-fast
growing technology companies that are ready to absorb new developments;
new creative teams; leading universi-ties; research centres; major business
associations; development institutions; expert and professional communities
and engaged ministries. NTI uses a bottom-up approach and relies on the
activity of stakeholders. It is currently structured into nine Nets, three of
which—HealthNet, NeuroNet and FoodNet—are directly associated with
biotech. Each Net develops a concept and a road map that are evaluated by
the government commission under the chair of the Deputy Prime Minister.
When approved, the road map is filled with projects that facilitate
implementation of the goals of the particular Net. Each project is evaluated on
an individual basis by a special high-ranking board; if approved, the Net
receives both federal and business funding (average $1 to 5 M). FoodNet
contains a set of declared priorities, including agrobiotechnologies, novel
sources of renewable biomass, functional foods and feeds and “precision
agriculture”. Precision agriculture involves the planting of seeds and the
application of fertilizers and plant protection agents in accord with non-
uniformity of arable lands and demand for crops; automation of agricultural
production; and accumulation and cataloguing of all data relevant to
agriculture (agriBigData). This field is of special interest and could become an
important tool in developing elements of the bioeconomy in Russia.
Major current trends
The growth of tensions in Russia-West relations after 2014 was a major
event that had a profound impact on the development of
 A. Osmakova et al. / New Biotechnology 40 (2018) 76–81
the Russian biotech sector and resulted in economic anti-Russian sanctions
and retaliatory measures from the Russian Federation. These tensions affected
all sectors of the economy but were probably most profound in the
agricultural sector. Because of the embargo on selected food imports imposed
by the Russian government and the disappearance of competitors from local
markets, the national agricultural producers were able to increase their
manufacturing. Russian agriculture was one of the benefi-ciaries of the
“sanction war” and showed steady growth up to 4% per year in the past two
years in a background of overall decreasing GDP.
Substitution of imported goods and services with local ones is of the
imperatives of the modern Russian economic situation. The dependence of
some sectors of the Russian economy on imports remains critical, and thus
provision of domestic technologies, services, competencies and goods is a
major government task offering new opportunities to local companies in all
the sectors of the economy, including the agroeconomy.
The concentration of agricultural production into large agro-holdings that
occurred in the past 15–20 years facilitated introduction of modern
agrotechnologies, mainly of western origin, and resulted in a dramatic growth
of productivity in all sectors of agricultural production. In the past few years,
Russia has become the world’s largest grain producer, with an estimated
current surplus of grain of 30–35 million tons and a forecast of 50 million
tons over the next decade. Such tremendous overproduc-tion of grain,
relatively low international grain prices and the resulting competitive
economic situation dictate the necessity to establish local industry to process
grain into high value-added products (e.g., modified starches, amino acids).
However, an increase in agricultural output has another facet, namely the
accumulation of enormous amounts of waste that demand proper handling
and utilization. Waste, in particular agricultural waste, is a burden for
environmental protection policies but at the same time provides another set of
incentives and opportunities to increase agricultural production efficiency
through recycling, increases in energy efficiency, extraction of valuable
substances (e.g., proteins from waste) and transformation of waste into value-
added products such as fertilizers.
Taken together, the critical dependence on imports (in particular, seeds,
breeding cattle and feed components) threatens national security and a
relatively short window of opportunities for local produce. This motivated the
abovementioned set of measures suggested and introduced by the federal
government: the recently adopted complex target programme of R&D support
of agricultural production [10] and reorientation of the so-called Institutions
of Development (e.g., Skolkovo, RosNano, Russian Venture Company,
Agency of Strategic Initiatives) towards biotechnology and its applications in
the agricultural sector.
Thus, agrobiotechnologies and the agricultural sector as a whole enjoy
major attention and support from the state. The main priorities are outlined in
high-level presidential or government documents and include a
comprehensive set of measures to stimulate the creation of new local crop
varieties and animal breeds to overcome a critical dependence on imports. It
also implies support of industrial biotechnology sectors servicing the
agricultural sector: the production of plant protection agents, feed additives
including enzymes and amino acids, biofertilizers, growth stimulators and
veterinary and feed antibiotics. Environ-mental protection, recycling and
valorisation of waste from the agricultural and food industries are also of
extreme importance.
Legislation and standards
Another important aspect of the Russian biotechnology agenda is its
position towards GMOs, which is rather conservative and
79
determined by extensive legislation, regulating such areas as safety testing
procedures, labelling, use for R&D purposes and release into the
environment. The first set of regulations, approved in the mid-1990s, set up a
general framework for safety testing and admission of GMO-containing feed
and food in local markets. However, the legislation has important gaps that
precluded the building of a comprehensive regulatory system at that time.
Attitudes towards GMO in Russian society are contradictory. The
majority of academic experts are in favour of loosening regulatory restrictions
while maintaining all the strict barriers associated with safety testing and
release into the environment. However, the general public opinion, stimulated
by the media, is rather hostile. Thus, in 2016, a new set of GMO regulations
[11] was adopted by the State Duma that effectively banned GMO crops from
Russian fields and GMO-containing products from Russian markets. It
remains to be seen how GMO legislation will affect implementation of other
measures intended to stimulate R&D in agrobiotech (e.g., creation of new
varieties and new breeds) and agricultural produce and whether this
legislation will also affect new technologies for gene manipulation, including
CRISPR/CAS.
In contrast, organic agriculture received very positive responses from
legislators. In 2015, the national standard GOST R 56508-2015 on “Organic
production. Regulations for production, storage, transportation” was adopted
and a number of federal laws (e.g., “Rules for production and turnover of
organic goods”) and amendments to existing ones are under discussion and
currently at different stages of preparation.
A “Best Available Techniques” (BAT) instrument, similar to the Best
Available Techniques Reference documents created by the EU, is now
available in the Russian Federation. BAT is considered an important
instrument for state regulation and harmonization of environmental and
industrial policies. The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade is overseeing
this activity, which is imple-mented by the Federal Agency “Rosstandart” and
the special Bureau of BAT. Sectoral lists of BAT are currently under develop-
ment, including agriculture, processing of organic raw materials and
minimization of industrial emissions. Biotechnologies could play a substantial
role to achieve these environmental objectives and reduce pollution.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, in cooperation with the
interested businesses and TPs, is developing professional standards in the field
of biotechnology that will improve management of human resources and
provide the basis for the development of related educational standards.
Among the docu-ments under development are the standards for “Quality
control specialist in biotechnological production of substances for crop
production”, “Specialist-technologist in biotechnological produc-tion of
detergents and cleaning agents”, “Specialist-technologist in the field of
environmental technologies”, “Specialist-technologist in the production of
paintwork coatings, biochemical dyes and household products”, “Specialist in
transportation, warehousing and storage of biochemical products”, “Quality
control manager in biotechnological production”, “Specialist-technologist in
the field of bioenergy technologies”, “Specialist in organization of the
production in the field of bioenergy and biofuels”, etc.
To coordinate all the standardization activities in the biotech area that
were previously dispersed among various bodies, the special Technical
Committee No. 326 “Biotechnology” was established in 2014 under the
general supervision of the All-Russian Research Center of Standardization,
Information and Certification of Raw Materials, Materials and Substances,
NIISMT.
Regional initiatives and major biotech projects
While R&D activities in biotech are mainly concentrated in the major
scientific and educational centres of Russia, including
80 A. Osmakova et al. / New Biotechnology 40 (2018) 76–81
Moscow and the Moscow region, Saint-Petersburg, Novosibirsk and Tomsk,
business activity and implementation of biotechno-logical projects is located
in the provinces, clustering in regions in the south of Russia and Siberia
where there are available, accessible raw materials, e.g., grain, agricultural
waste and wood waste.
Regions
Several biotechnology clusters have been formed in the Russian
Federation or are still under formation. The majority specialize in pharma and
red biotechnology, e.g., clusters situated in Saint-Petersburg, Kaluga,
Novosibirsk, Yaroslavl and Tomsk. However, a number of Russian regions
that have actively introduced innova-tions have declared their intention to
develop biotechnology clusters and/or engineering centres specializing in
industrial and agrobiotechnologies. The most advanced are the Republic of
Tatarstan, Republic of Bashkortostan and the regions of Altai, Novosibirsk,
Krasnodar, Rostov-on-Don, Belgorod and Kirov. In cooperation with local
governments, universities and business communities, an R&D and pilot
infrastructure for the development of industrial and agrobiotechnologies has
been established, and training programmes have been initiated and industrial
facilities have been launched. The current emphasis is on the development
and small-scale production of feed additives, biofertilizers and biological
plant protection agents.
However, there are much more ambitious initiatives. A number of
Siberian regions, such as the Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Kemerovo, Omsk and
Irkutsk regions, and Altai and Krasnoyarsk Krai, with a total output of biotech
products worth $500 M united their efforts under the Siberian biotechnology
initiative, a cross-regional programme that brings together businesses and
R&D institutions operating in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors.
The proclaimed agenda is the rehabilitation and modernization of the
biotechnology industry in Russia, based on the potential of Siberian scientific-
technological, industrial and educational complexes in the following sectors:
biotechnology for agriculture, pharmaceut-icals, food industry, forestry and
environmental protection.
Selected biotechnology projects
No single industrial biotechnology plant was launched in Russia in 1990–
2010. The first one, located in the Tambov region and specializing in the
production of industrial technical enzymes, was started in 2013. It has an
output of up to 1000 tons per year and a comprehensive product list
comprising enzymes used as feed additives. The enterprise relies on
proprietary production strains developed in Russia.
Due to enormous surplus of grain, which is mainly clustered in the
Southern parts of European Russia and some regions of Southern Siberia, the
construction of grain processing plants is high on the agenda. A plant
producing lysine—an indispensable amino acid used as a feed additive— was
erected in the Belgorod region. The plant is rated for processing 250 thousand
tons of grain with production of 55 thousand tons of lysine sulphate. It uses
proprietary strains and technology developed by the GNIIGenetik, a leader in
the field of genetic engineering of industrial micro-organisms. Another lysine
plant rated for processing of 120 thousand tons of grain is under construction
in Siberia in the Tumen region and will be operational in the coming months.
Another lysine plant that will process 250 thousand tons of grain is under
construction in the south of Russia in the city of Volgodonsk. It is a joint
venture between Russian investors and Evonik of Germany, which supplies
the technology. Thus, when all the projected lysine plants are operative, they
will meet Russian demand for lysine and also supply this amino acid for
export.
The EastAgro group of companies, in cooperation with the Rostech State
Corporation, is developing a project in the Lipetsk region for the production
of inulin and fructooligosaccharides from
topinambur. BioTechnologies is implementing an ambitious project for the
production of protein concentrates from oilseeds (sunflower). A plant in the
Altay region capable of processing 23 thousand tons of sunflower meal and
producing 6000 tons of protein concentrate, 5400 tons of saccharide syrup
and 12,000 tons of energy pellets was launched in 2015. Similar plants are
under construction in the Voronezh region and in the Republic of Tatarstan.
The Titan group of companies, specializing in chemical products, is
diversifying its activities into the agro- and biotech sectors. A chemical-
biotech cluster has been formed in the Omsk region. The company targets
production of ETBE using bioethanol produced from grain.
Summary
Since 2010, Russia has taken systematic measures to create an
infrastructure for developing biotechnology and elements of the bioeconomy.
A number of high-level documents were adopted, including the
comprehensive BIO2020 programme, outlining general approaches to
biotechnology development in the Russian Federation. Important amendments
to federal legislation either have been already introduced or are under
discussion.
The development of biotechnology is considered a national priorities that
will shape the future of the Russian economy to a major extent. The trend was
initiated during a long period of economic stability in the Russian Federation,
stimulated by high oil/gas prices. Another impulse for further development in
the current circumstances is the demand for self-sufficiency and independence
of the local economy should economic sanctions and counter-embargoes
occur.
The major growth points in the bioeconomy are located within the sectors
of agrobiotechnology, food production and specialized small-scale chemicals.
Thus, the trajectory of biotechnology development in the Russian Federation
is specific and differs, sometimes considerably, from global trends.
Acknowledgement
This work was supported in part (VOP) by the grant from the Russian
Science Foundation project 14-24-00172-A.
References
[1] Innovation for sustainable growth: bioeconomy for Europe. European Commission; 2012.
http://ec.europa.eu/research/bioeconomy/pdf/
bioeconomycommunicationstrategy_b5_brochure_web.pdf.
[2] National bioeconomy blueprint. 2012 https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/
default/files/microsites/ostp/national_bioeconomy_blueprint_april_.pdf; USA.
[3] National biotechnology development strategy 2015–2020. 2015 http://www.
dbtindia.nic.in/wp-content/uploads/DBT_Book-_29-december_2015.pdf, India.
[4] National biotechnology policy. 2005 http://www.bioeconomycorporation.my/ national-
biotech-policy, Malaysia.
[5] 13th five-year plan (2016–2020). 2016 http://english.gov.cn/news/top_news/
2016/03/05/content_281475301749142.htm, China.
[6] Brazil biotechnology strategy. 2007 http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/ _ato2007-
2010/2007/decreto/d6041.htm, Brazil.
[7] Comprehensive program for development of biotechnology in the Russian Federation
through 2020, BIO2020. Russian Federation; 2012. http://
biotech2030.ru/gosudarstvennaya-koordinatsionnaya-programma-razvitiya-biotehnologii-
v-rossijskoj-federatsii-do-2020-goda-bio-2020/.
[8] Action plan for development of biotechnologies and genetic engineering (roadmap).
Russian Federation; 2013. http://government.ru/en/docs/3257/.
[9] Prognosis of scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation (to
2030), special section dedicated to biotechnology. Russian Federation; 2014.
https://www.hse.ru/mirror/pubs/lib/data/access/ram/
ticket/26/14967406088f35e7cff441cd85811977fd6a2d0780/19STI2013.pdf.
[10] Complex target program of the Russian Federation R&D support for activities in creating
domestic crop and livestock gene banks and plant protection products in order to promote
competitive agricultural production by Russian producers and in developing technologies
for cultivation and storage of such products for 2016–2025,
http://www.en.kremlin.ru/acts/news/52572; Decree
 A. Osmakova et al. / New Biotechnology 40 (2018) 76–81 81

of the President of the Russian Federation 350 On measures for realization of the state
scientific and technical policy for the benefit of development of agriculture, July 21, 2016.
[11] Federal law modifying separate legal acts of the Russian Federation regarding
enhancement of state regulation in the field of genetically modified organisms. Russian
Federation; 2016. http://government.ru/en/docs/16755/.
[12] Strategy of the scientific and technological development of Russia until 2030. Russian
Federation; 2016. http://en.kremlin.ru/acts/news/53383.
[13] National Technology Initiative, NTI. Russian Federation; 2014 http://asi.ru/ eng/nti/;
http://nti.one/markets/.