May 17th was marked by the plenary session “Technological Leadership Week: Food Security” held within the framework of Rossiya Expo at VDNKh.

Speakers, including Oksana Lut, the Minister of Agriculture, and directors of ministry departments, discussed tasks prioritized for industry development and drafting the national project "Technological support of food security".

Rostislav Kovalevsky, Innovations Director at EFKO and Chairperson of the Coordinating Council of Novatoria Agrobiotechnological Park, reported on the prospects of food security in biotechnology.

Biotechnology is an important part of human nutrition: it is actively employed in food production throughout the production cycle, from the field to the finished product. The Soviet Union created a powerful biotech industry, and the country provided itself in full and its allies with biotech products, from enzymes to vitamins.

In the 90s, sovereignty in this field was practically lost, and now it is necessary to restore the industry, ensure food security, and facilitate production of high-tech products.

The success of biotech is only possible in close cooperation between science, business and the state. Research teams are challenged to build the missing competencies within a brief time perspective.

Another challenge for industrial production of biotech products is scaling up of technologies developed by scientists.

The report covered the response to this challenge - the agrobiotechno-park supported by the Ministry of Agriculture and launched in the Belgorod Oblast. It will specialize in biotechnology.

The project outcome will be an infrastructure created to work out all stages of the technological process from laboratory research to pilot production and further assessing the application of the developed products.

The agrobiotechno-park is expected to be fully operational in September this year. The most reputable Russian biotechnological experts and business people have joined its coordinating council.