Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has directed the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation to establish the national genetic information database by September 1, 2025. The corresponding directive was released on the legal information portal and will be effective starting September 1, 2024.
The primary objective behind creating this database is to enhance national security, safeguard the well-being of Russian citizens, and uphold sovereignty in the management and utilization of genetic data.
The database will facilitate the exchange of information housed within the system among governmental bodies and individuals who own genetic data, thereby enabling cooperation in genetic engineering activities.
This new system will contain diverse information about biological samples and their categorization, with access granted to professional communities. The Kurchatov Institute’s NIC has been assigned the responsibility for overseeing the system’s operations.
In May 2022, Lilia Gumerova, the chairwoman of the SFRA Education and Culture Committee, together with Alexander Zhukov, the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma, introduced a bill aimed at enhancing the legislative framework governing genetic technology development in Russia.
According to Gumerova, the proposed bill, “On Amending the Federal Law on State Regulation in the Field of Genetic Engineering,” will lay the foundation for the operationalization of the national genetic information database, which will be tasked with the collection, storage, processing, and analysis of genetic data. She noted that the bill was devised in collaboration with the Kurchatov Institute, as per the directives of the President of the Russian Federation.