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(AESLA) Solagran to open first Bioeffectives facility in Tomsk

Solagran (ASX:SLA) has finalised a co-operation agreement with the Tomsk regional government in Russia with the first commercial Bioeffectives production facility to be opened on March 20. Tomsk is a scientific and research hub and home to eight universities. The agreement with the Tomsk government, to be signed next week, provides for co-oerating in a range of activities in the biotechnology sector.

Moscow region industry increased a volume of production output by a third

The results of social and economic development of Moscow region in 2007 have been summarized and new targets for the year of 2008 have been discussed. Mr.Boris Gromov, the Moscow region Governor underlined that Moscow region took the third place in Russia as to gross regional product growth and its industrial production played a leading role in the regional economy as usual. Its industrial factor, being equal to 113.4%, is a half higher than the average Russian datum. The Moscow region industry successful growth creates an economic basis to achieve the goals aimed by the Moscow region social and economic development Strategic Plan till the year of 2020.

10600 companies of the region, including 3438 big and mid-sized ones, are involved in industrial production. Their volume of dispatched commodities within the year amounts to 969 bln. RUR (within the last year - 737.1 bln. RUR).

The Moscow region industry, being usually the second one in the central federal region, gives work to more than a third of the regional manpower and more than a half of the profit gained by all local organizations and companies.

Environment Saving Know-How

Students of Tyumen State University can study environment saving technologies and their smart application, environmental protection and ecological safety. The program subjects, being aimed at regional application, are to be studied for 2 (two) years. This study is to be financed from the Federal budget. Moreover, the University is to spend about 103.2 mln. RUR from its own non-budget funds.

By mid of this year they plan to complete a testing ground "Priobskiy" on the territory of the deposit with the same name in a few kilometers from Khanty-Mansijsk to create nature-saving technologies to eliminate toxic waste.

Tyumen State University is an active participant of the program on development of nanotechnologies. The Federal budget financing, aimed to implement the program innovation and education parts, has duly enhanced material and technical base of the University needed for scientific and research projects. For instance, a set of the unique equipment, being purchased for molecular and genetic analysis, is to be applied in research on stability and modification of rare and dying away species of plants and animals in the areas of intense human activity.

Program for innovation activity development in Penza region

The Penza region officials adopted a draft law "On regional comprehensive program on development of innovation activity in Penza region in 2008-2010" on February 15.
The estimated financial costs for the above program implementation are to be 5 bln. 634.5 mln. RUR, i.e. 3 bln. 261.2 mln. RUR in 2008.

Total financing split calculation of the foreseen costs is to be as follows:
- 1 bln. 139 mln. RUR are to be obtained from the Federal budget;
- 1 bln. 234.6 mln. RUR are to be obtained from the regional budget;
- 3 bln. 261.2 mln. RUR are to be obtained from the non-budget funds.

The main program items are as follows: the Penza region Hi-Tech technological park foundation and operability support, foundation and development of business incubators' network, as well as foundation and development of investment projects' venture financing.

Russian First Vice-President Dmitry Medvedev to show great interest in establishment of pharmacological substances production facilities in Novosibirsk

Mr.Victor Tolokonskiy, the Novosibirsk region Governor displayed an advanced project to the First Deputy the RF Government Chairman.
Summarizing the results of bilateral meeting with the First Vice-President, the Governor informed the reporters of his keen interest in this field of research of the Novosibirsk scientists.

"Moreover, Dmitry Medvedev has given the assignments to the ministries, departments and state federal bodies concerned to pay due attention to this research. Having obtained the state help, we could implement this advanced trend in science and industry much faster and wider,"- told Mr.Victor Tolokonskiy.

He meant the Siberian pharmacological and biotechnological Center unique know-how, being used for trombovazim production. The regional Principal announced his hope for state support of the progressive research of the scientists of the Siberian branch of the RF Academy of Sciences on manufacture of the drugs based on nanotechnologies.

Supercomputer with Basic Specialization in Bio- and Nanotechnologies

A presentation-startup of a Supercomputer Cluster Center "The Center of competence in biotechnology, aerobiology, bionanotechnologies, general and industrial microbiology", being founded within the innovation educational program of the national project "Education", took place in Vyatka State University on January 25, 2008.

The Supercomputer Center core is a cluster system with such parameters, as:
- capacity: over 20 TFlops;
- repository capacity: over 20 TB;
- option to upgrade the system by means of GRID-know-how;
- remote access to the Center resources.

The Vyatka State University Supercomputer took the 242-nd place (among 500 of the most powerful ones) in the Annual International Rating. After its 2-nd unit putting into operation, it will be in the top half of the rating of the 50 most powerful ones in the World.

It has been designed with basic specialization of "Bio- and nanotechnologies". Only 3 Supercomputers in the world (the Vyatka State University Supercomputer in Russia, USA and Switzerland ) have the same specialization.

Findings of Russian scientists not to drain abroad

"Rossiyskaya Gazeta" ("Russian newspaper") - Federal issue №4572 of January 25, 2008 г. has published an interview with Sergey Mazurenko, the Head of Federal Agency on Science and Innovation who has shared his thoughts on changing the role of Russian science and Russian scientists in international cooperation and global scientific community.

S. Mazurenko told that the times when our scientists were selling abroad the ideas for pittance pass. Whereas the cooperation between Russia and leading countries in basic sciences took place even in the times of the "Cold War", we had not been participating at all during about 80 years in cooperation in the field of high technology and innovation characterized by tough competition. So we have to study a lot how the ideas are to be commercialized.

The current state of Russian science is not unpromising. Some research institutes managed to earn good money based on own scientific ideas and concepts even in 90s, the extremely difficult years for science.

Now, on the initiative of many Russian scientists supported by the President V. Putin we are participating in creation in Germany of the Free-Electron Laser (FEL) providing a lot of opportunities for basic sciences including the field of nanotechnologies. It costs about 1 bln. Euros. Besides, the Russians are the leaders in the ambitious project on experimental thermonuclear reactor ITER based on the Russian "Tokamak" device. When participating in the ambitious projects we develop our own science and production as well as earn good money. Within the Seventh Framework Program (FP7) for research and technological development the joint (Russia - the EU) tenders have been announced in the fields of energy and biotechnologies where the companies and organizations from France, Germany, Holland take part. The similar tenders have been announced also with China.

World bioeconomy market to grow over $2.0 trillion euro by 2010

A popular Russian newspaper (edition of the Russian Government) "Rossiyskaya Gazeta"- Federal issue №4572 of January 25, 2008 г. published an article authored by Oleg MOROZOV, the First Deputy Chairman, Russian State Duma, and the Chairman of Board of Trustees of the Yu.A. Ovchynnikov Russian Biotechnologists Society, and Professor Raif VASILOV, the President of the Yu.A. Ovchynnikov Russian Biotechnologists Society. The article raises the most pressing issues of state of the art of the Russian biotechnology, makes a comprehensive assessment and outlines the prospects of bioeconomy's development in Russia.

The authors emphasize that these are not only the issues of pace and quality of the economic growth. This is the survival issue of Russia as a Great Power. After the detailed review of biotechnology development and bioeconomy's shaping in the world, the authors characterize the current state of biotechnology in Russia as distant of satisfactory: a share of Russia in world biotechnology market does not exceed 0.2% (it was 5% 25 years ago) and the country takes only 70th place in the world ranking. Russia imports most of vital biotechnology products. Every second high school graduate specializing in molecular biology goes abroad as a rule irrevocably. Russia has missed "the green wave" of biotechnological revolution related to agribiotechnology. A decoding of the human genome has been executed almost without Russian participation.

Even an optimistic scenario envisages producing by 2010 only 1/4 of world output of biotechnology products. The reasons are obvious. Firstly, it is a manifestly inadequate funding of scientific and practical developments, but what is most importantly - it is a lack of state strategy.

Bioeconomy: this is reality

January 22, 2008 Raif Vasilov, the President of the Yu.A.Ovchinnikov Russian Biotechnologists Society, the Chairman of Board of Directors of the Russian National Biofuel Association and Alex Ablaev, the Vice-president of the Russian National Biofuel Association took part in the program "The personal opinion" of the broadcasting station "Radio of Russia". They discussed the problems and prospects of bioeconomy's development.

R. Vasilov believes that knowledge-based bioeconomy is ongoing reality presenting an economic system in which biotechnology and biological resources provide food, energy, chemicals and materials as well as environmental benefits.

The term "bioeconomy" has appeared recently when biotechnology has broken the boundary of traditional industries producing and processing bioresources as agriculture, food and fish industries, forestry and begun to penetrate such economy fields as energy, mining, light, textile industries, etc.

Currently we can see a real "biotechnology conquest" in the world. Driving forces of the process are firstly, a high demand in energy and raw materials, secondly, huge environmental problems, thirdly, the need for development of depressive and rural regions and fourth, a desire to improve the quality of life.

Russian Venture Company intends to launch 2nd Competitive Selection of management companies

February-March, 2008 the "Russian Venture Company" intends to launch the Second Competitive Selection among management companies qualified to be appointed trust managers of the monetary assets to be contributed by the OJSC "RVC" and subsequently included into closed-end unit funds.  "The maximum amount to be contributed to acquire units of venture funds at the Second Competitive Selection will be approved at the next Board Meeting", said Alexey Korobov, the CEO of RVC. "It will total approximately RUB 6 billion".