On the Results of the VIII Сongress of the Vavilov Society of Geneticists and Breeders

Abstract

The International Congress "VIII Congress of the Vavilov Society of Geneticists and Breeders dedicated to the 300th anniversary of Russian science and higher education" was held in Saratov, June 14-19, 2024. The Congress program comprised 20 symposia, four round tables and the III Forum “Genetic Resources of Russia”. More than 700 researchers from Russia and friendly foreign countries took part in the Congress. As part of the scientific program of the Congress, about 300 oral and 400 poster presentations were made. The Congress events provided a platform for a comprehensive discussion of the results of current research in the fields of genetics, breeding and biotechnology, bioinformatics and systems biology, medical genetics, symbiogenetics, ecological and evolutionary genetics. The issues of bioethics, legal and social aspects of genetic and genomic research, and interaction between science and the business community were raised. Particular attention was given to questions of the history of genetics. The VIII Congress of Vavilov Society of Geneticists and Breeders (VOGIS) was held in a historical place, firmly associated with the name of Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov, who formulated the law of homologous series in variation, described the Centers of Origin of Cultivated Plants and assembled one of the largest biological collections in the world. The Congress welcomed the adoption in the first reading of the law "On bioresource centers and biological (bioresource) collections" by the State Duma of the Russian Federation on 18.06.2024 and emphasized the importance of its final adoption and entry into force, noting that biological collections are the fundamental basis of scientific and technological chains, and their preservation, development, study and use are an important factor in the successful implementation of the Strategy for Scientific and Technological Development of the Russian Federation. The Congress discussed issues of education in the spheres of genetics, biotechnology and breeding in the Russian Federation, and also listened to and approved the Concept for the Development of Biological Education, aimed at implementing the goals of the Russian Federation through 2030 and for the future until 2036.