Skopje, 11 December 2023 (MIA) - The Research Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology "Georgi D. Efremov" at the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts (MANU) has received new equipment worth over EUR 580,000. The use of the equipment and support from the Health Insurance Fund meets the needs of the clinics and MANU, which will cover two new analyses for patients with rare diseases and on molecular diagnostics.

At the presentation of the new equipment at MANU on Monday, authorities said that investments are being made for the development of genetic engineering and molecular biology, following global trends.

Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski said that for the first time, the government has taken pioneering steps for the development of scientific potential in several areas. "I know that it is not a lot, but still, this equipment is of top production, worth over half a million euros, which will help make comprehensive and extremely sophisticated genetic and molecular analysis here in Skopje," PM Kovachevski said.

For the first time in 10 years, he added, in 2021, a tender was published for financing scientific and research projects for public scientific institutions, including one for procurement of lab equipment, accreditation of laboratories, and those carrying out scientific research, where the equipment presented today was first approved.

"These are three-year projects with a total value of almost Mden 318 million, or over EUR 5 million, of which 70 percent are covered by the government. During the world economic and energy crisis, we invested in capital projects and facilitated the uninterrupted development of institutions. For the first time in several decades, we helped with the reconstruction and modernization of MANU equipment in order to follow trends, and we also visited other scientific laboratories around the country, where, for the first time after a while, serious investments were made," Kovachevski stressed.

Minister of Health Fatmir Mexhiti said that it is of great importance for patients that the laboratory at MANU is able to diagnose hereditary, malignant, and rare diseases with the help of genome sequencing, including early detection of diseases, which doctors can use to provide timely treatments.

Minister of Education Jeton Shaqiri stated that the institution for the project on improving capacities of the National Center for Genomics and Proteomics, worth Mden 43 million (EUR 700,000), received support of Mden 21 million, or 50 percent of the total value, through the Ministry.

"The satisfaction is mutual, because after a long period of time, rather the country's stagnation for the support of scientific institutions, the current government set aside almost Mden 240 million (EUR 4 million) to help with the modernization of scientific and research capacities and facilitate new opportunities for improving their work," Shaqiri explained.

Research Center manager and academic Aleksandar Dimovski said that little is still being invested in science.

"Promises have been made, but when the time comes for true allocation, science is always left behind, but I am fully convinced that without investing in science there is no knowledge or moving forward," Dimovski stressed. ssh/ik/

Photo: MIA