Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree on the establishment of a National Center for Agricultural Genetic Resources of animals. The decree was published on the official portal for normative legal acts of the Russian Federation.
The new institution will be formed based on the Federal Research Center for Animal Husbandry, named after the academician Lev Konstantinovich Ernst. The center is being created to "promote scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation and to comprehensively solve the tasks of accelerated development of genetic technologies."
The main goals of the institution will include the formation and replenishment of a national catalog of particularly valuable genetic samples, the search and selection of such samples in livestock and poultry breeding locations, the development of methods for obtaining and storing genetic resources (including the use of modern technologies and advanced ideas). In addition, the organization's goal will be to develop international cooperation in the field of scientific and technological development and food security, taking into account the interests of Russia.
Coordination of the center's work will be carried out by a special interdepartmental commission on the formation, preservation, and utilization of collections of genetic resources of agricultural animals. The expenses related to the establishment and functioning of the center will be covered from the federal budget and other funding sources. The government has been tasked with determining the funding volumes and developing a center development program, while the Ministry of Science and Education will provide comprehensive support to the organization. Specific deadlines for solving these tasks are also defined in the document.