Bioeconomics (National Project)

National projects of Russia

Main article: National projects of Russia

Chronicle

2024

Launch of the national project

On December 3, 2024, the chairman Governments of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin announced the launch of a new national project "Bioeconomics." It is aimed, among other things, at creating Russia infrastructure for the use of biological raw materials and at developing unique technologies in demand in the agriculture environment and in the creation of medicines.

According to estimates, the technological dependence on imports in the sector under consideration reaches 80%, since the bulk of biotechnologies used in the Russian Federation came from abroad. The imposition of sanctions in the conditions of the formed geopolitical situation aggravated the situation in all industries, and the agro-industrial complex turned out to be the most affected. The new national project is aimed at solving existing problems.

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Russian Government

According to Arthur Smirnov, director of the chemical industry department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Bioeconomics will include five federal projects, as well as five thematic areas. Among them are named:

• Biotechnology for agriculture and food production - starch products and sugars, starter crops and sourdough, animal and plant proteins;
• Biotechnology in power - liquid, solid and gaseous biofuels;
• Biotechnology for waste disposal and processing - systems for composting, wastewater treatment, bioremediation of contaminated land;
• Biotechnology for the production of a component base - amino acids, vitamins, enzymes;
• Biotechnology for human health - raw materials for vaccines, hormones and antibiotics.

Mishustin notes that the new national project will contribute to the opening of its own production facilities in Russia and the increase in production. At the same time, according to the Prime Minister, it is necessary to improve the interaction of technical universities with enterprises, so that specific tasks for the implementation of research and training of personnel are assigned to each university.^[1]

Preparation for the launch of the national project

In October 2024, First Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Denis Manturov announced the launch of a new national project "Bioeconomics." The project will begin in April 2025 and will be aimed at developing biotechnology in various sectors of the country's economy.

Director of the Department of Chemical Industry of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Artur Smirnov revealed the preliminary structure of the national project. "Bioeconomics" will include five federal projects and five thematic areas, including "biotechnology for human health" and "biotechnology for the production of a component base."

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Unsplash

The direction of "biotechnology for human health" will focus on stimulating the production of raw materials for vaccines, hormones and antibiotics. "Biotechnology for the production of a component base" will be engaged in the synthesis of amino acids, vitamins and enzymes. Other thematic areas cover biotechnology for agriculture, power and waste management.

Federal projects within the framework of "Bioeconomics" will be aimed at scientific and technological support, the creation of infrastructure, an increase in the number of specialists, the development of equipment and the organization of the production of microbiological products.

The development of the content of the national project is carried out by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Scientific and Technological Center for Bioeconomics and Biotechnology, created in August 2024. The center included eight scientific institutions, including the Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The head organization is the Research Center "Kurchatov Institute."

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Mikhail Yurin noted that one should not count on significant financial injections within the framework of the national project. The exact financing parameters have not yet been determined, but the draft federal budget for 2025-2027 provides about ₽77 billion for biotechnology initiatives.

The national project "Bioeconomics" will complement other sectoral programs, in particular, the national project "New Health Saving Technologies," to which it is planned to allocate ₽210 billion by 2030, including ₽60 billion from the federal budget.^[2]

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