The main building of NSCMB FEB RAS (photo by O. Vasik).
The exhibition building of the Primorsky Aquarium (photo by A. Omelyanenko).
Surf (photo by A. Ratnikov).
A remotely operated underwater vehicle Comanche launched from aboard the R/V Akademik M.A. Lavrentyev (photo from the archive of NSCMB FEB RAS).
A mussel clump (photo by A. Ratnikov).
A bird’s-eye view of the Vostok marine biological station, NSCMB FEB RAS (photo by A. Omelyanenko).
NSCMB FEB RAS held its first international event 2026 in Dalian
Details
On June 12–13, 2026, the 2nd China-Russia Symposium on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of the Fisheries Resources in Far Eastern Area was held in the city of Dalian within the framework of a dual international event: the 6th GTI NEA Marine Cooperation Sub-Committee Meeting Supported by the UNDP and the 2nd China-Russia International Symposium on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of the Fisheries Resources in Far Eastern Area. The Greater Tumen Initiative, North-East Asia (GTI NEA) is an initiative for the development of the Greater Tumangan (originally known as the Tumangan/Tumenjiang River Area Development Programme, TREDA), an intergovernmental cooperation mechanism between four countries - China, Mongolia, the Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation - supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (http://www.tumenprogramme.org/).
Ceremonial reception to mark the inauguration of the Consul General of the People's Republic of China
Details
On April 27, 2026, in Vladivostok, a reception was held to celebrate the inauguration of Mr. Wu Demin as Consul General of China.
Representatives of the government of Primorsky Krai and the city of Vladivostok took part in the event held at the Vladivostok Lotte Hotel. Among the distinguished guests were O.N. Kozhemyako, Governor of Primorsky Krai; K.V. Shestakov, Mayor of Vladivostok; and representatives of business, science, education, public organizations, and the media.
Mr. Wu Demin officially assumed the role of Consul General in Vladivostok on February 8 this year, after the departure of Ms. Piao Yangfan, who had held the position for the previous three years.
At the ceremonial reception hosted by the Consulate General, representatives of NSCMB FEB RAS were in attendance. The Deputy Director for International Cooperation, K.A. Lutaenko, personally extended his congratulations to the Consul General on his appointment. During the meeting, wishes for successful and productive work were expressed, along with a desire to further strengthen and expand cooperation with scientific and educational institutions in the People’s Republic of China. Konstantin Anatolyevich emphasized that the primary areas of collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences include coastal ecosystem research. He also noted that the institution is exploring the possibility of extending the partnership to include joint deep-sea projects.
The Consul General of China expressed his intention to actively promote cooperation between China and the regions of the Russian Far East. He emphasized that Sino-Russian relations have reached an unprecedented level, and that the Consulate is committed to further strengthening interaction and cooperation between the two countries.
The consular district of the Consulate General of China in Vladivostok covers Kamchatka and Primorsky Krai, the Magadan and Sakhalin Oblasts, as well as the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.
The NSCMB FEB RAS and its branch, the Primorsky Aquarium, maintain active cooperation with scientific and educational institutions in the People’s Republic of China in various areas of marine biology and biodiversity research. The Center’s international activities have always been supported by the Consulate General of China for logistical, visa, and other purposes. Representatives of the Consulate have also visited NSCMB FEB RAS and the Primorsky Aquarium on several occasions.
We sincerely hope for the continuation of this cooperation.
A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology FEB RAS and Dalian Ocean University discuss a future joint laboratory to be created under the Belt and Road Initiative
Details
On March 13, 2026, the A.V. Zhirmunsky National Scientific Center of Marine Biology FEB RAS had an online meeting with the Dalian Ocean University. From the Russian Party, the meeting was attended by Dr. K.A. Lutaenko (Cand. Sci. Biol.), the Deputy Director for International Cooperation, Dr. V.V. Mordukhovich (Cand. Sci. Biol.), a senior researcher of the Laboratory of Marine Ecosystems Dynamics, and Mrs. A.I. Grishina, a leading engineer of the International Cooperation Department. The Party of the Dalian Ocean University was represented by Mr. Zhu Hui, the Director of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, Prof. Huo Zhongming, the Dean of the College of Marine Science and Environment, Mrs. Shao Jingyi, the Deputy Director of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, and postgraduate students of the University.
The Parties discussed prospects of a China-Russia Joint Laboratory on Aquatic Germplasm Innovation and Mariculture of marine invertebrates, in particular bivalve mollusks, to be established as part of the Belt and Road Initiative. For further implementation of the project, it is necessary to develop a concept and roadmap for the joint laboratory, identify key research areas, sources of funding, form working groups, and sign additional agreements. The Parties agreed to combine forces to increase the project and develop scientific collaboration in the future. Discussions covered also visits to China for getting acquainted with the research works conducted by the Dalian Ocean University, participating in a scientific conference, and for mutual internships for young scientists, undergraduate, and postgraduate students. A journey of the Rector of the University to Vladivostok was also scheduled.
Previously, representatives of the University visited the Center three times and participated in the Fourth Mariculture Young Scientists’ School and the Seventh Russian-Chinese Bilateral Marine Biology Conference. Three cooperation agreements covering various research areas were signed between the Center and the University.
The Dalian Ocean University, located in the coastal city of Dalian, Liaoning Province, is a national leader in marine sciences and fisheries in China. The University offers a variety of education programs in medical sciences, engineering, agriculture, management, humanities, and law. The University’s key departments are the College of Fisheries and Life Sciences and the School of Maritime Law and Humanities. It is also actively developing ties with research centers abroad, including joint projects with Russian institutions.
The International Cooperation Department Marks Twenty Years
Details
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.
The Consulate General of the Republic of India in Vladivostok celebrated the Republic Day
Details
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.
