Thermoprogrammed reduction and X ray powder diffraction were used to study the phase composition and specific features of the activation process of the Co/ZrO 2 catalytic system. Results of the physico chemical studies were compared with the data on activity and selectivity of catalysts in the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. Reducing activation of the Co/ZrO 2 catalyst with the syn gas can be performed directly during the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, avoiding the high temperature step of reduction with hydrogen. The Co/ZrO 2 catalytic system can be used for the development of catalysts for the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, which do not require a separate step of the high temperature reduction with hydrogen.Classic cobalt Fischer-Tropsch catalysts based on alu mina, silica, and alumosilicates possess high activity and selectivity. 1,2 One of the principal steps in the formation of active phase of these catalysts is the activation in re ducing atmosphere, necessary for the formation of re duced particles of cobalt on the catalyst surface. 3 Recent works 4-7 showed that when a precursor of the active component is deposited on a support, formation of dif ficult to reduce mixed oxides (spinel structures) 8,9 occurs, that leads to the transformation of considerable amount of active component into the catalytically inert state.Since formation of the spinel structures is directly re lated to the active component-support interaction, more recently attention of researches was directed on the development of new catalytic systems with lower strength of the metal-support interaction. In particu lar, the Co/ZrO 2 system belongs to such systems (see Ref. 10).In the present work, we studied conditions for the for mation of active phase in the Co/ZrO 2 catalytic system and their influence on activity and selectivity of the Fischer-Tropsch catalyst.