BRICS Bolsters Scientific and Technological Cooperation: From Joint Research to Technology Implementation
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, BRICS member states are facing common challenges in their pursuit of greater sovereignty, economic strengthening, and improved quality of life, with scientific and technological development being crucial to achieving these objectives. Experts believe that BRICS countries possess the capacity to compete for global technological leadership, with artificial intelligence, autonomous transportation, green energy, quantum communications, and space exploration identified as critical arenas for this competition.
China accounts for 27.4% of global research and development expenditures, followed by India at 2.6% and Russia at 1.3%. All three nations rank among the top 20 countries worldwide in this metric. Russia also remains a leading country in terms of employment in the science sector, with 382,800 researchers in 2024, while China leads with three million specialists.
Scientific synergy among BRICS nations can be fostered by pooling financial resources, leveraging extensive scientific capacities, and reducing administrative barriers to researcher mobility. Vadim Yelfimov, a geopolitical expert on BRICS and head of the Social Policy and Ideology Department at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Belarus, proposes four strategic areas for BRICS cooperation: establishing a new balance of power with BRICS at its core, shaping a multipolar world order, developing a political economy based on cooperation and mutual assistance, and adapting a regulated market model with a more active state role in serving broad societal interests.
Achieving these goals necessitates advancements in scientific cooperation within technology and innovation, particularly in interdisciplinary fields such as energy and environment, medicine and biotechnology, food and agriculture, artificial intelligence and big data, as well as materials science and physics. Cooperation in these areas follows the 2015 Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Science, Technology, and Innovation, the BRICS Framework Programme for Science, Technology, and Innovation, and annual statements from leaders and ministerial meetings.
BRICS countries are placing significant emphasis on scientific cooperation in environmental and energy sectors. Progress in these fields directly impacts quality of life and food security, and is interconnected with the development of AI and big data, which require substantial energy resources. At a ministerial meeting in New Delhi in August 2026, BRICS nations adopted environmental cooperation priorities including forest restoration, combating forest fires, transitioning to a circular economy, preserving ecosystem resilience, and adapting to climate change. The meeting also stressed practical actions within the BRICS Environmental Technologies Platform (BEST), which facilitates the exchange of experiences in implementing green innovations and sharing eco-friendly technologies, including the creation of a dedicated environmental cooperation portal. The BRICS Energy Research Platform, established in 2015, serves as a forum for discussions on renewable energy, hydrogen, and gas. The UAE has made significant investments in solar and hydrogen energy, with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park in Dubai being one of the world’s largest. Indonesia has prioritized tropical forest management in its BRICS cooperation agenda.
Member states are transitioning from experience exchange and platform creation to joint project implementation in energy and environmental sectors. Nikolay Dolgikh, CEO of Technological Capital and lecturer at the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, noted that Russia and China are jointly monitoring water resources and exchanging data, including information on the Amur River basin. China and Brazil are engaged in extensive cooperation in environmental and green energy sectors, with Chinese companies constructing wind and solar power plants in Brazil. The Tanque Novo wind farm in Bahia, operational since 2023, supplies electricity to 430,000 households and prevents the emission of 650,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually. China and Brazil also conduct joint space monitoring of the Amazon rainforest using the CBERS Earth observation satellite constellation.
Dolgikh highlighted the significance of Russia and China’s joint projects in low-carbon technologies, particularly hydrogen, emphasizing that focus has expanded beyond production technology to include usage and export of derived products. Russian companies are developing hydrogen transmission projects and planning facilities in Sakhalin to supply the Chinese market.
Cooperation in medicine and biotechnology within BRICS aims to establish a joint research base, combat pandemics, and develop innovative drugs. The BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Center and regular specialized working group meetings are key mechanisms for this collaboration. In 2023, a dedicated BRICS working group was formed for the development and production of innovative drugs. Member countries have also discussed establishing a consortium for developing next-generation drugs tailored to the genetic and metabolic characteristics of BRICS populations. Joint programs for producing radioisotopes used in cancer diagnosis and treatment are also underway in nuclear medicine. Experts advocate for building scientific infrastructure to develop safe, approved, and more affordable biosimilar alternatives to existing drugs.
Margarita Isakova, head of the International Department of International Development at the Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University, told TV BRICS that Russia and India are enhancing their collaboration in the production of biosimilar monoclonal antibody drugs used for treating conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. She anticipates a significant reduction in the cost of these drugs, improving accessibility to treatment. Isakova identifies the transformation of cooperation structures as the most important achievement in BRICS medicine and biotechnology, noting the development of mechanisms for faster mutual recognition of clinical data, improved drug registration dossier preparation, and streamlined inspection processes for manufacturing facilities, a process that previously could take decades.
A crucial area of technological cooperation in BRICS is the maximal utilization of artificial intelligence capabilities. The BRICS summit in Kazan in 2024 adopted a framework program for cooperation in AI, encompassing projects in BRICS language technologies, smart agriculture, and climate change prediction. The “BRICS Digital Cloud Corridor” initiative plans to establish a joint network for data storage and high-performance computing. In July 2025, the BRICS Media and Think Tank Forum in Rio de Janeiro proposed the joint use of AI in news production and research activities of analytical centers. In November 2025, BRICS Plus launched a center showcasing 80 validated AI application examples from 30 countries. Experts interviewed by TV BRICS emphasize the extensive potential and necessity of progress in big data and neural network research cooperation.
Semyon Tanaev, founder of a Russian business social network for specialized content and an IT and business expert, stated that countries face similar challenges, including vast territories, multilingual societies, and complex sectors like medicine and agriculture. Therefore, sharing experiences, achievements, and expertise is logical. He added that without cooperation, especially in research, security, and infrastructure, this path would be more difficult and costly for everyone. BRICS also collaborates in physics, astronomy, materials science, mechanical engineering, chemistry, biology, and agriculture. Scientists underscore the importance of training specialized human resources for technological development, akin to creating and sharing technology itself, with effective science diplomacy becoming a key factor for progress.
Dolgikh mentioned that BRICS has specialized scientific groups, joint research competitions, scientist exchanges, and programs for young researchers. Over the past decade, within the existing cooperation framework, six joint research competitions, nine forums for young scientists, and seven awards for young innovators have been held. He stressed that joint plans and projects should move beyond paper and be practically applied in BRICS member countries. To this end, the BRICS Action Plan for the Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises has been active since 2025, focusing on innovation, the digital economy, and technological cooperation. This initiative encourages SMEs to participate in international forums and exhibitions to find partners for technology licensing and to create a joint database of technological capacities.
Dolgikh believes this represents the long-awaited transition from joint scientific work to achieving business and market realization of achievements. However, experts identify several challenges hindering the development of BRICS scientific projects and technology transfer, including differences in regulatory systems, financing mechanisms, standards, and intellectual property protection procedures. Practical issues such as language barriers, difficulty in finding suitable partners, varying technological requirements, and differing market entry timelines also exist. These factors often create a gap between scientific achievements and commercial products, contributing to delays or failures in the practical application of research findings.
Consequently, experts emphasize the need to establish “technology chains” within BRICS, clearly defining technology ownership, development continuation, financing for expansion, and the final application of products. Dolgikh summarized this trend by stating, “The next level of BRICS cooperation in science and technology is the transition from the ‘we research together’ model to the ‘we create, implement, and develop together’ model. The greatest potential lies precisely on this path.” Experts suggest that establishing a network of BRICS technology transfer centers and organizing joint technology competitions can help overcome these challenges. More active utilization of existing digital platforms to identify scientific achievements and suitable partners among member countries is also crucial for advancing these collaborations.
