The decisions made at the meeting of the Supervisory Board of the Centre for Technology Transfer of the National Research University Higher School of Economics (CTT) chaired by Deputy Head of the FAS Russia Gennady Magazinov and with the participation of representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Economic Development, Rosselkhoznadzor and the Russian Academy of Sciences, gave a new impetus to the implementation of the technology transfer project. The project is being carried out as part of the FAS Russia order issued following the consideration of the Bayer/Monsanto deal.
The Supervisory Board instructed to intensify and deepen educational activities on the basis of the educational and scientific centre for plant biotechnologies established in accordance with the instructions of the FAS Russia at Skoltech. In addition to the decisions of the Supervisory Board, a series of practice-oriented trainings will be held from the 5th to the 12th of July from leading Bayer specialists for Russian breeders participating in the technology transfer project. In addition to breeding companies of Russia, scientists from a number of scientific and educational organizations subordinate to the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Agriculture are invited to participate.
In two directions of technological transfer - the transfer of germplasm (parental seed lines) and the transfer of molecular means of selection of seeds for crops such as corn, soybeans, rapeseed, tomato, cucumber and cabbage, the council identified and approved the recipients of technologies. In addition, in accordance with the decisions of the Supervisory Board, the range of recipients of technological transfer (germplasm, molecular breeding agents, historical digital agronomic data) will be expanded through the involvement of specialized research institutes of the Ministry of Education and Science. Also, an expert council will be created under the Supervisory Board, which aims to provide expert support from the scientific community for the use of transmitted germplasm in the breeding process.
Vugar Bagirov, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Director of the Department for Coordination of Organizations in the Field of Agricultural Sciences of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia, notes: "According to the doctrine of food security, by 2030 it is necessary to provide 75% of the needs of our producers with domestic seeds".
The implementation of the national project 'Science', which involves creating five agrobiotechnoparks, where the achievements of modern breeding and biotechnology will be replicated in the regions, aims to solve this problem. However, the coordinated work of all industry players is required. The private breeding business in Russia has enormous potential, and the development of scientific breeding presupposes its more active cooperation with business. The ongoing work on the technology transfer project sets the right vector for the conjugation of science and business. We are closely observing the progress of the project and are already seeing the first important results. "
"Our company is aimed at long-term cooperation for the benefit of the development of agriculture in Russia. It is not enough just to transfer technologies; it is important to be able to use them correctly, which is why we have planned an extended training seminar for employees of the recipient breeding companies and representatives of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Agriculture, which will be held online. In this way, Russian breeders will be able to get maximum benefit during the transfer and continue their breeding activities using new solutions," notes Natalya Smolyarenko, Head of the Crop Science Division of Bayer in Russia and the CIS.
Alexey Ivanov, Director of the Institute for Law and Development of the Higher School of Economics-Skolkovo and the BRICS Competition Centre, Academic Director of the Centre for Technology Transfer at the Higher School of Economics, says: research centre for plant biotechnology, free transfer of germplasm, molecular breeding agents and digital data to Russian breeders, practical training seminars for recipients. And although this project is only a small area in the development of Russian breeding, it is already contributing to increasing the competitiveness of our breeding companies. It is especially valuable that the Russian Academy of Sciences and the relevant ministries - higher education and science and agriculture - have actively joined the technical transfer project. The closer integration of state science and private breeding business will make it possible to increase the adaptability of Russian breeding, which means it will increase our country's food security and expand the influence of the Russian agro-industrial complex in the world. "
"FAS Russia is working to ensure the execution of the order issued during the approval of the Bayer/Monsanto deal. Proper execution of the prescription will increase the competitiveness of the domestic agro-technical sector by introducing new technologies, training of representatives of Russian breeding companies in modern methods of plant breeding and the transfer of agro-technical data. On the whole, we are satisfied with the progress of the transfer - this is a clear result of the application of new approaches of the FAS Russia to control transactions of economic concentration of global companies," said Gennady Magazinov, Deputy Head of FAS Russia.
For reference:
The Technology Transfer Centre was established in 2018 in accordance with the instructions of the FAS Russia issued following the consideration of the Bayer/Monsanto transaction to monitor its implementation and implement research projects aimed at developing competition in the agro-technological sector of Russia.
Bayer is an international company specializing in life sciences solutions for healthcare and agriculture. The company's products and services are designed to help people and the planet cope with the major challenges posed by the growth and ageing of the world's population. Bayer is committed to sustainability. At the same time, the group strives to increase its profitability and improve efficiency through innovation and development. All over the world, the Bayer brand is associated with responsibility, reliability and quality. In the fiscal year 2020, the group employs around 100,000 people and has sales of 41.4 billion euros. Research and development expenditure before special items amounted to € 4.9 billion.
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