A Russian center aimed at coordinating regional HIV vaccine research will cost approximately $40 million, Gennady Onishchenko, the country's chief medical officer, said Monday, RIA Novosti reports. According to Onishchenko, seven research institutions in Russia have been investigating HIV/AIDS in the country, one of which will become the primary research center under the regional body. Health officials have requested $40 million for the center, but the Russian government has not yet allocated funding for the project, Onishchenko said (RIA Novosti, 7/24). Leaders from the Group of Eight industrialized nations last week at the close of their summit released a final communique that endorsed the Russian center, which will coordinate HIV vaccine research in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. G8 leaders also agreed to establish a global center for HIV vaccine research (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 7/18). Onishchenko also called for more stringent blood safety measures and increased efforts to combat the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS in Russia (RIA Novosti, 7/24).