The Gazprom Board of Directors approved the Company's efforts aimed at obtaining and protecting patents for R&D results and technologies.

Gazprom pursues a purpose-oriented policy aimed at the effective intellectual property management, while constantly streamlining it in line with the best Russian and international practices. Patent protection of intellectual property is an important component of this work. Its goal is accumulating and protecting the Company's patents for inventions, useful models and industrial designs. It helps Gazprom retain its technological leadership and successfully apply the research and development (R&D) works.

It was pointed out that Gazprom was the leader among Russian oil and gas companies in the field of patenting the intellectual property in Russia. Gazprom Group holds over 1.9 thousand patents, and 492 of them protect technical and process know-how invented during R&D activities as a follow-up of initiatives by Gazprom and its subsidiaries. These include BIOROS biological product created for cleaning the soil of hydrocarbon pollution; a technology for using methane-hydrogen mixture as GCU fuel; a new generation inline inspection pig; sulfur-asphalt concrete and sulfur-bitumen production technologies.

Gazprom Group receives great economic benefits from inventions, useful models and industrial designs. In 2010 it amounted to RUB 862.6 million, in 2011 – RUB 924 million, in 2012 – RUB 1.136 billion. In 2013 the benefits are expected to exceed RUB 1 billion.

At present, Gazprom is working out a patent strategy aimed at identifying the priorities and optimizing patent procedures. In addition, much attention is given to personnel training and career development in the field of intellectual property protection.