Plant Breeding 2.0 Research Project Launched
The first meeting of the working group of Plant Breeding 2.0 research project was held at the HSE Center for Technology Transfer. Leading Russian experts have started discussing barriers and bottlenecks in the development of the industry. The preparation of the report is overseen by the HSE-Skolkovo Institute for Law and Development.
The Plant Breeding 2.0 project will study all aspects of the functioning of the plant breeding and seed industry in Russia, will analyze the conditions of competition in the Russian agricultural sector, will work out potential mechanisms for public and private cooperation in crop breeding and genetic resource management.
The experts will review the breeding products value chain, identify growth points, barriers, and potential development paths for the breeding and seed industry. In addition, the understanding of the level and depth of Russia’s technological dependence will be updated and priorities for government support to the technological development of the industry identified.
The working group is headed by Roman Kulikov, former head of Biotechnology in Agriculture and Industry of the Biomedical Technologies Cluster of the Skolkovo Foundation. The working group members are Vitaly Voloschenko, a Candidate of Sciences in Agriculture (Breeding and Seed Industry), 3rd Class Full State Counsellor of the Russian Federation, director of the breeding and early generation centre Ekoniva Seeds; Sergey Goncharov, professor of the Department of Breeding and Seed Industry of the Voronezh State Agrarian University, Doctor of Sciences in Agriculture; Sergey Platonov, political coordinator of the Federal Association of German Plant Breeders in the Russian Federation, expert of the National Union of Plant Breeders and Seed Producers; Gennady Rezvy, genetic breeder (Russian State Agrarian University — Moscow Timiryazev Agricultural Academy), legal analyst (Moscow State University of Industry), executive director of the Association of Breeding Potato Producers.
The HSE-Skolkovo Institute for Law and Development is one of the initiators of this project. Experts of the Institute will prepare the legal part of the report, using the extensive experience gained in writing the book “Modern Agrotechnologies: Economic, Legal and Regulatory aspects.”