From joint research to scaling up: how BRICS will develop scientific and technological cooperation

Technological leadership as a path to sovereignty

BRICS countries face similar challenges. They seek greater sovereignty, stronger economies and improved quality of life. Achieving these goals directly depends on the level of scientific and technological development. Experts believe that the BRICS countries have the potential to compete for global technological leadership, with breakthrough developments in artificial intelligence, autonomous transport, green energy, quantum communications and space exploration.

In terms of the share of global spending on research and development (R&D), China accounts for 27.4 per cent, India for 2.6 per cent and Russia for 1.3 per cent. All three countries are among the world’s top 20 in this indicator. In addition, Russia remains one of the global leaders in terms of the scale of employment in science, according to analysts from the Higher School of Economics. In 2024, the number of researchers in the country reached 382,800 people. China leads with 3 million specialists. BRICS countries can also benefit from the synergistic effect of scientific cooperation if they combine large-scale financial and intellectual resources and remove bureaucratic barriers to the mobility of scientists.

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Expert in geopolitics, ideology, alliance building and BRICS countries, Head of the Department of Social Policy and Ideology at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Belarus Vadim Yelfimov identifies four strategic areas that BRICS countries should address together:

• finding a new balance of power in which BRICS countries, with their intercontinental reach, should play a key and integrating role;

• forming a new concept of a non-unipolar but multipolar world order;

• developing a new political economy of the world based on a transition to a system of “cooperation and mutual assistance”;

• adapting and developing a regulated market model amid the revival of the state acting in the interests of broad sections of society.

Addressing such large-scale strategic challenges requires the development of scientific integration in technology and innovation, particularly in interdisciplinary fields such as:

• energy and ecology;

• medicine and biotechnology;

• food and agriculture;

• AI and big data;

• materials science and physics.

Cooperation in these and other areas is based on the 2015 Memorandum of Understanding in Science, Technology and Innovation, the BRICS Framework Programme for Science, Technology and Innovation, as well as annual declarations adopted at leaders’ summits and specialised ministerial meetings.

Energy and ecology

The BRICS countries place significant emphasis on scientific cooperation in ecology and energy. Progress in these fields affects quality of life and food security, as well as advances in artificial intelligence and big data, which require substantial energy resources.

In August 2026, at a ministerial meeting in New Delhi, BRICS countries approved priorities for environmental cooperation. These include forest restoration, combating wildfires, transitioning to a circular economy, maintaining ecosystem resilience and adapting to climate change.

The meeting also focused on moving towards practical action within the BEST platform (BRICS Environmentally Sound Technology Platform). The initiative enables BRICS countries to exchange best practices in implementing green innovations and share environmentally friendly technologies, including through the creation of a dedicated environmental cooperation website.

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Since 2015, the BRICS Energy Research Platform has been operating as a forum for ongoing discussions on renewable energy, hydrogen and gas. The UAE is actively investing in solar and hydrogen energy – Dubai is already home to one of the world’s largest solar parks, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. Indonesia is including tropical forest management issues in the cooperation agenda.

At the same time, countries are moving from experience-sharing and platform creation to concrete joint projects in energy and ecology. For example, Nikolay Dolgikh, CEO of ANO Technological Capital, lecturer at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics and speaker at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and Eastern Economic Forum, notes that Russia and China jointly monitor the condition of water resources and exchange data, including information on the Amur River basin.

China and Brazil are also actively developing cooperation in ecology and green energy. Chinese companies are building wind and solar power plants in Brazil. For example, the Tanque Novo wind energy project in Bahia has been operating since 2023. The facility supplies electricity to 430,000 households while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 650,000 tonnes annually. In addition, China and Brazil are conducting joint space monitoring of the Amazon rainforest using the CBERS (China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite) satellite series.

“In the energy sector, I would highlight Russian-Chinese projects in low-carbon technologies, particularly hydrogen. Here, discussions are already focusing not only on production technologies themselves but also on the further use and export of the resulting products,” Nikolay Dolgikh stated.

According to experts, Russian companies are already developing hydrogen supply projects and planning the construction of facilities in Sakhalin to supply the Chinese market.

Medicine and biotechnology

BRICS cooperation in medicine and biotechnology aims to create a unified research base, combat epidemics and develop innovative pharmaceuticals. Key initiatives include the BRICS Vaccine Research and Development Centre, as well as regular meetings of specialised working groups coordinating cross-border projects.

In 2023, the BRICS Special Working Group was established to address the development and production of innovative medicines. BRICS countries are also discussing the creation of a consortium for developing next-generation medicines adapted to the genetic and metabolic characteristics of member countries’ populations. In nuclear medicine, joint programmes are being implemented to produce radioisotopes for diagnosing and treating cancer.

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Regarding specific products, experts highlight not ready-made vaccines but breakthrough foundations, such as cooperation between countries in developing verified and safe alternatives to biological medicines at more affordable prices.

“Russia and India are actively developing cooperation in the field of monoclonal antibody biosimilars – medicines used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. It is expected that in the foreseeable future their cost could decrease many times over, making treatment available to much broader segments of the population,” Margarita Isaakova, Head of the International Department of the International Development Division at Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University of the Ministry of Health of Russia, told TV BRICS.

The expert considers the institutional shift to be the main achievement of BRICS cooperation in medicine and biotechnology. Thanks to it, mechanisms are emerging for accelerated mutual recognition of clinical data, approaches to preparing registration dossiers are being developed and procedures for inspecting production facilities are being established. Previously, such harmonisation could take decades.

AI and big data

Another important area of technological cooperation within BRICS is maximising the potential of artificial intelligence. In 2024, the BRICS summit in Kazan adopted a framework programme for cooperation among member countries in AI. It launched several projects in BRICS language technologies, smart agriculture and climate change forecasting. As part of the BRICS Digital Cloud Corridor initiative, the creation of a shared network for data storage and high-performance computing is planned.

In July 2025, at the BRICS Media and Think Tank Forum in Rio de Janeiro, an initiative was presented for joint use of AI in news production and research activities of analytical centres. In November 2025, BRICS+ countries launched a hub featuring 80 verified AI application cases from 30 countries.

Overall, when discussing prospects for BRICS scientific cooperation in big data and neural networks, experts interviewed by TV BRICS consistently highlight the enormous potential and inevitability of these processes.

“Countries face similar challenges: large territories, multilingual societies and complex sectors such as medicine and agriculture. It makes sense to share experience, developments and expertise. Without cooperation – especially in research, security and infrastructure – it will be harder and more expensive for everyone,” said Semyon Tenyaev, founder of a major Russian business social network for expert content and an expert in information technology and business.

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Further technological cooperation within BRICS

BRICS countries also cooperate in physics, astronomy, materials science, mechanical engineering, chemistry, biology and agriculture. Scientists consistently emphasise that preparing qualified personnel for technological development is no less important than creating and sharing technologies, while effective scientific diplomacy is becoming one of the key factors of progress. Existing BRICS infrastructure is designed to support this process.

“Within BRICS, thematic scientific groups operate, joint research competitions, scientist exchanges and programmes for young researchers are organised. Over ten years, six joint research competitions, nine young scientists’ forums and seven young innovators’ awards have been held within the existing cooperation mechanism,” says Nikolay Dolgikh.

The expert also stresses that joint developments and projects should not remain on paper but should find practical application in BRICS member countries. This mechanism has also been developed within BRICS. Since 2025, the Action Plan for the Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises has been operating, focusing on innovation, the digital economy and technological cooperation. It provides for SME participation in international forums and exhibitions where partners can be found for licensing developments and creating a common database of technological capabilities.

“This is exactly the transition that has been missing for a long time: from joint scientific work to ensuring that developments reach business and the market,” believes Nikolay Dolgikh.

However, specialists also identify several challenges slowing down both BRICS scientific projects and expected technology transfers. These include differences in national regulatory systems, financing mechanisms, standards and intellectual property protection procedures. There are also practical issues such as language barriers, difficulties in finding suitable partners, different technology requirements and varying timelines for market entry.

All of this often creates a gap between scientific results and commercial products. This gap is the main reason why scientific breakthroughs are frequently announced but are not followed by implementation, or technologies take decades to reach practical application. That is why experts increasingly highlight the need to create so-called technological chains within BRICS, where it is clear who owns the technology, who will develop it further, who will finance scaling and where it will ultimately be applied.

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“The next level of BRICS cooperation in science and technology is the transition from the model ‘we research together’ to the model ‘we create, implement and scale together’. This is where the greatest potential lies,” notes Nikolay Dolgikh.

According to specialists, these challenges can be addressed through the creation of BRICS networks of technology transfer centres and joint technology competitions. Another important condition is more active use of existing digital platforms to find developments and partners among countries.

The article was prepared by Svetlana Khristoforova.