Scientific and Production Center “Armbiotechnology” NAS RA, SNPO was established in 2010 through the merger of the Institute of Microbiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia (NAS RA), the Microbial Depository Center SNPO, and the “Biotechnology Scientific Research Institute” CJSC under the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia.
      The Center is the legal successor of the Amino Acid Technological Scientific Research Institute of the USSR Ministry of Medical and Microbiological Industry. The latter was established on the basis of the Charentsavan branch of the All-Union Institute of Genetics (AUI of Genetics) of the same ministry. This branch was founded in 1970 in the city of Charentsavan, Armenian SSR, through the efforts of renowned Armenian scientist Professor Sos Alikhanyan. It was located in close proximity to the lysine production plant, which can be considered the starting point for the development of biotechnology in Armenia.
      The Institute of Microbiology of the Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR was established in Yerevan in 1961, based on the Department of Microbiology that had operated within the Academy since 1943. In 1963, the Institute moved to a newly built scientific-production complex in the town of Abovyan, where it gradually expanded and became one of the leading centers for general and applied microbiology in the USSR.
      In 2011, by a resolution of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, the Microbial Depository Center was granted the status of a National Asset of the Republic of Armenia.
      The Center hosts the 018 Specialized Council of the Higher Qualification Committee (HQC), the mission of which is to confer scientific degrees in chemical and biological sciences in the fields of microbiology and biotechnology.
      Currently, the Scientific and Production Center “Armbiotechnology” NAS RA is the only state institution in Armenia operating in the field of biotechnology, where both fundamental and applied research is conducted in microbiology, biotechnology, and related disciplines.
      Biotechnology, in synergy with other branches of science, is considered an essential and integral part of the innovation-driven development of the modern economy. Global challenges such as the depletion of natural resources, climate change, population growth, pandemics, and environmental pollution necessitate sustainable development and serve as the main driving forces behind the advancement of biotechnological science. At the same time, the development of effective technologies and their implementation through improved and expanded biotechnological production requires a solid foundation of fundamental scientific knowledge.
      Today, the Scientific and Production Center “Armbiotechnology” NAS RA is rightfully regarded as the leading organization in the field of biotechnology in the Republic. This is evidenced by recent achievements in fundamental science, reflected in numerous articles published in high-ranking local and international journals, as well as in the confident steps being taken toward the application of scientific achievements and the commercialization of developed technologies.