Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree on the establishment of the Innovation Research and Technology Center (IRTC) PhysTech Valley in Dolgoprudny (Moscow region). One of the activities of the IRTC will be the development of biomedical technologies, genetics, and genomic engineering. The decision, the government stressed, will provide an opportunity “to continue work on strengthening the Russian research base and creating a modern infrastructure.” It is planned that by 2039 the project will create over 6,300 jobs.
The initiator of the project was the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT), and AO Managing Company of the Innovative Research and Technology Center PhysTech Valley, wholly owned by MIPT, is the main operator of the IRTC.
The 172,000 square meter center will house both laboratories and production sites. The government also noted that at the moment about 20 companies have expressed their desire to participate in the project. They include organizations planning to produce innovative drugs for the prevention and treatment of progressive myopia.
According to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, there are currently 12 innovative research and technology centers in Russia, and the PhysTech Valley will become the 13th. He also noted that MIPT is among the leaders in terms of the commercialization of research and development results. In 2024, the university’s revenue from research and development amounted to more than 6.5 billion rubles. The establishment of the IRTC will reinforce the university’s scientific position, and residents will receive tax and customs benefits.
The Phystech Valley should become a tool for supporting technology companies along with the projects Professionalism, Advanced Engineering Schools, and Priority 2030, the government stressed. It is assumed that the work of the IRTC will accelerate the implementation of research results and technical developments.
Some of the 12 IRTCs established in Russia from 2019 to 2024 have or are going to have residents that are from the healthcare sector. These are the Quantum Valley in Nizhny Novgorod, where it was planned to implement projects in the field of high-tech personalized medicine and medical instrumentation, the Aerospace Innovation Valley in Ryazan, which included the development of biomedical technologies and medical devices, and the Mendeleev Valley in Moscow, which focused on medical and pharmaceutical chemistry and chemical technologies.
In addition, from 2020 to 2026, Rosatom State Corporation and the government of the Kaluga Region plan to allocate 18 billion rubles to the development of the Nuclear and Medical Technology Park IRTC. One of the main areas of work of this center is nuclear medicine and nuclear pharmaceutics.
In November 2024, President Vladimir Putin instructed the Russian Government and the authorities of the Primorsky Territory to ensure the creation of an IRTC and a synchrotron radiation source on Russky Island. Budget allocations for these purposes should be provided in 2025. Among other things, the site is going to be used for the development of new-generation antibacterial and antiviral drugs.
