At the collection, graduates of the Microbiology and Immunology Department of PSU undergo scientific and practical training, complete experimental term and diploma projects, bachelor's and master's theses. Joint scientific research is carried out within the priority direction “Microbial diversity resources and their biotechnological potential". The research is supported by grants from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) and Russian Science Foundation (RSF).

As part of the Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation with the aim of cooperating the scientific potential of the Laboratory of Alkanotrophic Microorganisms of the Institute of Ecology and Genetics of Microorganisms of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IEGM UB RAS) and the Department of Theoretical Mechanics of PNRPU, the interdisciplinary studies are carried out in the field of fundamental and applied microbiology, biomechanics and mathematical modeling.

A joint research is underway to create a biotechnology for the disposal of substandard medicines, i.e. falsified, defective, and expired. On the example of expired acetaminophen (paracetamol), the ability of actinobacteria of the genera Dietzia, Gordonia, and Rhodococcus to biodegrade medicines unsuitable for medical use and containing a phenolic hydroxyl group in their structure was studied. A mathematical model and technological scheme of the degradation process of paracetamol as a pharmaceutical substance and whole pills using immobilized rhodococci with pre-induced alkanotrophic metabolism have been developed. The research is supported by RFBR grants.

Under the agreements on scientific and technical cooperation aiming to create promising pharmacological agents based on available compounds, research is underway to develop biocatalysts for the biotransformation of terpenoids of various chemical structures, including monoterpenoids, pentacyclic triterpenoids, toxic resin acids, etc.

Interdisciplinary studies of biophysical and molecular mechanisms of adhesion of hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria are conducted using methods of interference microscopy, infrared thermography, and precision thermometry.

VKM is a parent organization coordinating the efforts on creating a unified information system providing access to microbial genetic resources. In the Consolidated Catalog of Russian Non-Medical Collections, available as an e-book (http://www.vkm.ru/collections, http://sevin.ru/collections), more than 900 thoroughly characterized bacterial strains from the Regional Specialised Collection of Alkanotrophic Microorganisms (acronym IEGM) are presented. In order to expand the funds, information resources, and services and thus to improve the efficiency of research in the field of genetic technologies, the IEGM collection has placed its catalog information on 300 maintained IEGM strains—active biodegraders and biotransformers of complex organic compounds, and producers of valuable bioactive metabolites—in the Consolidated database on the website of the consortium of the Russian National Node (VKM, UNIQEM, IEGM).

For the purpose of expanding and strengthening the creative community which aims at developing the most relevant scientific research, accelerating the implementation of scientific developments in production, providing scientific and technical assistance and qualified training of personnel within the Agreement on Scientific and Technical Cooperation, studies are conducted in the field of scientific and scientific and technical activities, as well as in the field of educational activities under master's degree programs, training programs for scientific and pedagogical personnel in postgraduate studies, and professional training programs.

Regional Specialised Collection of Alkanotrophic Microorganisms (IEGM) is a member of WFCC (#285) and is registered with the World Data Centre for Microorganisms (WCDM, http://wdcm.nig.ac.jp). The IEGM collection as to its volume, range of scientific and applied use of collection strains is comparable to the funds of the leading European centers of microbial bioresources and is among the Russian collections that, in terms of their readiness, meet the formation requirements of Biological Resource Centers (BRC). The program of consistent actions in studying and conserving the collected gene pool comprises various areas of work. These include adequate collection of natural material, classification and taxonomic description of cultures, assessment of their biotechnological suitability, development of methods for long-term storage of cultures and their functional diversity. Furthermore, these includes improved information support of cultures in accordance with international standards and ensuring continuity in the transfer to actual consumers of strains and the accumulated scientific information related to these strains