RUDN: iHerb initiates the creation of an International Research Center at RUDN University
On November 9, iHerb, the world’s largest retailer of vitamins, food supplements and healthy lifestyle products, signed an agreement with RUDN University, one of the leading Russian universities, on creating an International Innovation Research Center for Quality Control and Expert Research of Dietary Supplements. The agreement was signed by General Director of iHerb Russia Ilya Mikin and the Rector of RUDN University Oleg Yastrebov.
The center will become a new source of scientific expertise in the market of food supplements, vitamins and cosmetics. It will also strengthen the basis for creating a regulatory system for this market in Russia. During the next three years, iHerb will finance the activities of the innovation center and provide it with all the necessary resources. The tasks of the research center:
Monitoring the quality of products presented on the site.
Joint applied research in dietary supplements production.
Promotion of effective requirements of technical regulations in dietary supplements production.
Promotion of effective dietary supplements and creation of new ones.
Ensuring state registration of dietary supplements that meet the requirements of technical regulation in the Russian Federation and in the EU countries.
Development of professional recommendations for consumers on using and selecting dietary supplements.
It is also planned to create a unified information resource for citizens with up-to-date information on food supplements, as well as conduct joint scientific and practical events with the participation of Russian and international companies.
“IHerb considers Russia one of the most promising and attractive markets. We have repeatedly expressed our intention to transfer a significant part of our assets here, and cooperation with RUDN University is another step towards deeper localization. We are grateful to the representatives of the government of the Russian Federation, RUDN and the RAS for their support of our initiative and intend to actively develop it. It will not only become a source of new scientific knowledge, but will also increase the investment attractiveness of a healthy lifestyle. In the future will help increase the life expectancy of people both in Russia and around the world”, said Ilya Mikin, General Director of iHerb in Russia.
“RUDN and iHerb are global organizations that are known in more than 180 countries. Our cooperation will increase the level of trust in unfamiliar brands and help buyers make a choice in a situation with a large range of offers. Our specialists are to conduct research on the composition and quality of products of the brands that will be presented by iHerb Russia. At the first stage, these are vitamin complexes, cosmetics, products for a healthy lifestyle.
Previously, we have already carried out similar expertise for various companies, we have appropriate equipment and experience. Now, within the framework of cooperation, we are creating a ‘full cycle’ laboratory, in which specific products will be able to go through the stages from hypothesis testing to real manufacturing. In the long term we are plannung promotion of products of Russian manufacturers to the international market through the iHerb platform ”, said Oleg Yastrebov, Rector of RUDN University.