Chuvashia to launch the pilot project on biotechnology

December 14, 2007 the intergerional meeting with participation of leading Russian biotechnologists and their partners from Finland took place in the frame work of the International forum "Strategy and Practice of Successful Business" in Cheboksary.

Professor R.Vasilov, the President of the Yu.F. Ovchinnikov Russian Biotechnologists Society (Moscow), member of the Russian Academy, head of the Scientific Center in Puschino (Moscow) A. Miroshnikov and representative of the Finnish company IQlink G.Cheremisin participated in the discussion.

Opening the discussion R.Vasilov especially accentuated the role of biotechnology as a key structural element of the knowledge-based bioeconomy R.Vasilov outlined the milestones of biotechnology's development in medium- and long-term perspective. He stressed that biofuels (bioethanol) manufacturing is an especially promising field in Russia presently. The projects on bioethanol manufacturing are have been already launched in few Russian regions, including Omsk, Krasnodar, Volgograd and Tatarstan. R. Vasilov told, the oil-refining factories very soon will be partially replaced by biomass-refining factories.

A. Miroshnikov focused on the problem on applying the innovative technologies for creation of raw materials sources in forestry. The Scientific Center which he is running has proposed to develop a program on forest biotechnology. The Russian regions of Nyzhniy Novgorod and Chuvashia has been already involved in the realization of some forestry projects. One of them (in Chuvashia region) envisages applying genetic engineering methods in plantation forestry in order to produce wood with a higher cellulose yield.

R. Vasilov announced the projects in which The Russian Biotechnologists Society is going to participate as an investing partner of Chuvashia: biofuels production, forest biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, biomass processing, etc.

Дата: 18.01.2008