News & Announcements

Throughout its history, the A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences (NSCMB FEB RAS) (formerly the A.V. Zhirmunsky Institute of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences), has actively interacted with the global scientific community, building strong partnerships with academic institutions, universities, museums, and other scientific and educational organizations worldwide. Due to the expansion of scientific ties, the active involvement of Russian scientists in international projects, numerous trips by the staff of NSCMB FEB RAS to conferences, fieldwork, and expeditions, and also visits by foreign scientists, diplomats, and specialists, the International Cooperation Department was established in February 2006 at the initiative of Konstantin Anatolyevich Lutaenko, (Cand. Sci. Biol.), with the active and committed support of the former director, Academician Andrey Vladimirovich Adrianov. Since 2019, K.A. Lutaenko,  Deputy Director for International Cooperation, has coordinated the Department’s work.

Over the past 20 years, the Department’s staff have participated in or been the primary organizers of 34 international scientific conferences, meetings, and symposia. In the last 15 years alone (since 2011), the Department has assisted in organizing 680 staff trips abroad (to 4–22 countries annually). Since 2011, 593 foreign specialists and scientists have visited the NSCMB FEB RAS, including members of official delegations, diplomats, and employees of international organizations (from 2–18 countries annually). Assistance was provided in organizing and arranging 39 expeditions and fieldwork abroad in 12 countries, including visa support, co-publication of books, and the operation of five joint laboratories/centers. After the Primorsky Aquarium joined the NSCMB FEB RAS as a branch in 2016, the International Cooperation Department began to supervise the Aquarium’s international staff (and later the Department established there), providing methodological guidance, assistance in work and organizing events, receiving delegations, and preparing consolidated reports.

In 2025, the NSCMB FEB RAS and the Primorsky Aquarium supported 37 active international agreements. These agreements covered cooperation with nine countries: the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, the Republic of Korea, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Japan, the Federal Republic of Germany, Belgium, the Republic of India, and the Republic of the Philippines. The Department also supports the operation of four joint open laboratories (two Russian–Vietnamese, one Russian–Korean, and one Russian–Chinese) and the Center of Excellence in Blue Economy (CoE-BE) between the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata, India (IISER Kolkata) and the NSCMB FEB RAS.

 Cooperation with international organizations is developing. In particular, NSCMB staff are members of various committees and commissions of the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN), the Action Plan for the Protection, Management, and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Northwest Pacific Region (NOWPAP), the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES), UNESCO, and other organizations. The Department helps organize online meetings with these organizations and facilitates the preparation of documents and presentations.

With the assistance of the Department, international conferences are actively held. At the NSCMB FEB RAS, the Far Eastern Malacological Society organized three international meetings on mollusks (2004, 2014, 2019); geneticists held 12 international symposia on genetics (Modern Achievements in Population, Evolutionary, and Ecological Genetics – MAPEEG); an international conference on cell culture (Cell Cultures of Marine and Freshwater Animals) was held in 2015; since the 1990s, a series of international meetings on global changes in the natural environment and climate has been organized; seven joint Russian–Chinese conferences on marine biology and biodiversity, a number of Russian–German meetings on deep-sea biology, an international nematological conference, and other events have also been held. In all cases, the Department’s staff provided visa support, often logistical assistance, and sometimes even organized the entire event, operating as a “conference management team”. The Department’s staff also provided significant assistance during four joint Russian–German cruises in the North Pacific (since 2010) as part of a deep-sea biodiversity study program.

A significant contribution to the development and routine work of the Department at various stages was made by current and former specialists: Tatyana Vladimirovna Lavrova, Marina Viktorovna Gorelaya, Natalya Vladislavovna Miroshnikova, Daria Nikolaevna Kamenskaya, Vadim Mikhailovich Serkov, Svetlana Petrovna Geronina, Anastasiia Igorevna Grishina, and Konstantin Anatolyevich Lutaenko.

In 2025, the Center and the Primorsky Aquarium participated in organizing six events with international status, including international conferences, all-Russian conferences with international participation, seminars, and symposia.

In September 2025, the International Cooperation Department took an active part in organizing the Marine Biological Forum, which included the Center’s 55th anniversary, a bilateral Russian–Chinese meeting "Marine Biology and Biodiversity Research in the 21st Century," and an all-Russian conference with international participation "Marine Biology in the 21st Century." The bilateral Russian–Chinese meeting was the seventh event organized by the NSCMB FEB RAS and the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IO CAS, Qingdao). The six previous meetings were held in Qingdao in 2007, 2010, 2017, and 2023, and in Vladivostok in 2012 and 2019.

During this period, the International Cooperation Department actively collaborated with staff from various countries’ consulates general in Vladivostok, institutes of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Far Eastern Federal University, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Representative Office in Vladivostok, and numerous foreign organizations, always receiving their support. Many specialists of the Center and the Primorsky Aquarium provided volunteer assistance in hosting events and welcoming foreign guests, leading tours of the laboratories, museum, and aquarium. Our colleagues at the branch, Inna Vladimirovna Ustinova, Mikhail Sergeyevich Kornienko, and Sergey Ivanovich Venchakov, assisted us in our work, jointly holding conferences and organizing visits.

On January 26, 2026, the Consulate General of the Republic of India in Vladivostok held a reception to mark the 77th anniversary of the Republic Day, India’s major national holiday.

The Republic Day commemorates the adoption of the Constitution of the Republic of India and the country’s transition from British dominion to a republic, which came into effect on January 26, 1950. On this day in 1930, the Indian National Congress passed the Declaration of the Independence of India (Purna Swaraj).

The reception was held at the Lotte Hotel. Among the guests were the Governor of Primorsky Krai O.N. Kozhemyako, the Mayor of Vladivostok K.V. Shestakov, other officials of the Government of Primorsky Krai and Vladivostok, and representatives of business, science, education, and public organizations. Representatives of the NSCMB FEB RAS and its branch, the Primorsky Aquarium, were also invited. The guests of honor congratulated the hosts. The program included a concert featuring traditional Indian dances and music, and also a buffet with Indian national dishes. The Indian diplomats and the Russian officials noted the continuous and long-term friendship between the peoples of Russia and India, the active development of trade, economic, cultural, scientific, and other ties, and the genuine interest of Russians in the ancient culture of India. Commemorative gifts were exchanged.

Konstantin A. Lutaenko, the Deputy Director for International Cooperation of the NSCMB FEB RAS, congratulated Mr. Siddarth Gowrav, Consul General of the Republic of India in Vladivostok, and expressed confidence in further scientific cooperation. Our Center maintains ties with a number of Indian scientific organizations. Two cooperation agreements have been signed by the Center with the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (Kolkata) and the CSIR–National Institute of Oceanography (Dona Paula, Goa). The Center regularly holds online meetings with Indian scientists; diplomats of the Consulate General have visited both the Center and the Primorsky Aquarium on several occasions; and there have been joint publications with Indian colleagues.

The NSCMB FEB RAS cordially congratulates its Indian colleagues on the Republic Day and wishes them prosperity, well-being, and continued success in all areas of bilateral relations between the two countries.

The Primorsky Aquarium – Branch of the NSCMB FEB RAS has the pleasure of inviting you to attend the International Scientific and Practical Conference in Celebration of the Primorsky Aquarium's 10th Anniversary entitled “Ocean Conservation through Education and Research” (OCER-2026), which will be held on September 14–17, 2026.

The scientific part of the OCER-26's program will include sessions within the following sections:

• Section I. Basic research in marine biology.
• Section II. Scientific research in public aquariums.
• Section III. The welfare of wild animals in human care: ethical aspects.

IMPORTANT DATES

• December 01, 2025 – Opening of registration and paper title submission
• January 19, 2026 – Deadline for registration and paper title submission
• March 23, 2026 – Deadline for abstract submission
• May 18, 2026 – Abstract acceptance notification
• August 17, 2026 – Preliminary conference program released
• September 14-17, 2026 – Conference live days

Conference format – In-person.

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

To become a sponsor, please contact:

• Dr. Anna Ponomareva This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Dr. Mariia Shulgina This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For details on participation and registration, please contact:

• Mr. Kirill Tevs This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

For visa support, please contact:

• Ms. Inna Ustinova This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

More detailed information can be found in the first circular.

The A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology, Far Eastern Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, held the All-Russian Conference with international contributions “Lipid Biochemistry” on October 7–8, 2025, in Vladivostok.

The conference, dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the birth of the outstanding biochemist Viktor Evgenievich Vaskovsky, brought together more than 150 scientists from different cities of Russia (Vladivostok, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Blagoveshchensk, Krasnoyarsk and others), as well as participants from the UK, Turkey and the Republic of Belarus. As part of the scientific program, 56 presentations were delivered: 17 oral reports, 14 remote presentations and 25 poster papers.

The plenary meeting was opened by the chair of the organizing committee Dr. Natalia Vladimirovna Zhukova and the director of the NSCMB FEB RAS Igor Yuryevich Dolmatov, Corr. Member of RAS. The director of the PIBOC FEB RAS Pavel Sergeyevich Dmitrenok, Corr. Member of the RAS, also gave a welcoming speech.

The conference program included the following sessions:

• History of lipid research and novel research methods;
• Lipids of aquatic organisms;
• Lipids of plants and fungi;
• Lipids and human health;
• Practical applications and lipid biotechnology.

On the first day, participants discussed the latest theoretical and applied results in lipid biochemistry.

A significant part of the scientific program consisted of presentations delivered by young scientists.

The second day was held at the Primorsky Aquarium Scientific and Educational Center, a branch of the NSCMB FEB RAS, where the participants not only continued presenting their scientific reports, but also visited the exhibitions and a marine mammal show.

On September 22, a gala meeting dedicated to the 55th anniversary of the NSCMB FEB RAS was held at the Pushkinskiy Theater of the Far Eastern Federal University. The Center was founded on January 1, 1970, as the Institute of Marine Biology within the Far Eastern Scientific Center of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

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