MSU biotechnology business incubator in new premises

MSU biotechnology business incubator will move to the renovated University vivarium in the near future. Incubator plans to establish its own production. It became possible after attracting the funding from Industry and Trade Pharma 2020 program in 2011.

Construction of the biotechnology business incubator started in 2008 with the money of Economic Development of Russia. According to Dmitri Akhaev, CEO of biotech incubator, a total of ministerial programs has been invested about 500 M RUR in the business incubator; the university adds about 90 M RUR.

With sufficient funding, the incubator has expanded its development plans. Reconstruction of the vivarium, which should be completed by this August, is now only the first step. It is planned to build its own preproduction by the end of 2014. According to the plan, there will be two GLP-laboratories in the vivarium; one to work with eukaryotes, and the other purposed on regenerative medicine, preclinical laboratory, vivarium with a zone of SPF-animals, and a business center.

GLP, GMP, SPF are international quality standards signs, which must be met to a successful withdrawal of the product to the international market.

The activities of the incubator, as reported by strf.ru portal, will be focused on biomedicine (cell technology and regenerative medicine, oncology drug development, cardiology, treatment of autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases), Industrial Biotechnology projects (food additives, animal feed, bio-energy) and environmental protection technologies (waste management, wastewater treatment).

Final requirements are not determined yet for the future residents of the incubator, but we can already say that it will be small businesses that need to have an investor and a business plan and should have no problems with intellectual property.

Besides MSU, the management company will include investment partners of the incubator, including Pharmstandard, Binnofarm, Phizer, AstraZeneca, Skolkovo, RVC Biofond. Their mission is to help not only with money but also with useful connections that will allow incubator residents to break into the market.