The first scientific conference on psychiatric genetics in Russia, “Genetics and epigenetics of mental illnesses,” took place in Moscow in November 2017.  At this conference, the Russian National Consortium for Psychiatric Genetics (RNCPG) was established and all the primary members wrote the memorandum of understanding.

The Consortium is a voluntary association of research scientists and physicians that gives psychiatrists and geneticists the opportunity to work together from the initial planning of projects to data processing and final discussions. In May 2018, the Consortium become a special section in the Russian Society of Psychiatrists. No special diagnostic groups are planned, and every collaboration project inside the Consortium is flexible and open for members and associated participants.

The primary goal of the Consortium is to foster a better understanding of the prevention and treatment of mental illnesses by studying their genetic basis in the population of the Russian Federation. To achieve this goal, the Consortium members have agreed to unite the scientific, clinical, and technological capabilities of the leading Russian research centers in the field of psychiatric genetics; build and maintain Russia’s largest collection of biomaterials from people with mental illnesses; ensure the highest standards of scientific practice at all levels of psychiatric genetics research and true interdisciplinary research; facilitate the participation of Russian scientists and studies in the Russian population in international collaborations; and develop guidelines for clinical practice that apply the results of genetic studies in the Russian population.