The history of Siberian branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS)

Formation of Siberian branch of USSR Academy of Sciences (from 1991 – Siberian branch of Russian Academy of Sciences) in 1957 marked the new era in “scientific development” of Siberia. At the distance of 30 km from Novosibirsk construction of Academgorodok (Academy Town) was launched to provide accommodation of scientific community and creation of required infrastructure.

The history of founding of Siberian branch of Academy of Sciences, the biggest of the branches, is unique and special. For the first time in domestic history within a short period of time and far from the centre a major research and development complex was established. A great number of outstanding representatives of metropolitan science settled there on their own free will.

Another peculiar feature is that Academgorodok became the first territorial structure of the Academy of Sciences aimed at development of abstract science and solid education (Dobretsov N.L. Harmony of triunity. // "Science at first hand" № 2 (14) 2007, p. 11).

A man of extraordinary managerial abilities - academician Lavrentyev Mikhail Alexeyevich - together with academicians Sobolev S.L. and Khristianovich S.A. were at the origin of the Siberian branch and Academgorodok. At that time all of them were forehanded metropolitan scientists holding high positions. However, search for scientific and administrative freedom pushed them to implement an extremely brave project approved by N.S. Khruschev. The project authors explain the necessity of large academic centre creation in Siberia by insufficient level of study of unique regional natural resources required for development of national economy, as well by facilitation of access of trans-Ural industrial centres to state-of-the-art scientific research developments.

The ground area of 1200 hectares was allotted for Academgorodok construction. The area was situated on the shore of the Ob Sea in the place called “the Golden Valley”. Thanks to persistence and managerial abilities of M.A. Lavrentyev the buildings of first institutes are residential houses were constructed within a short period of time.
Development of the Siberian branch was based on the principles called “Lavrentyev’s triangle”. The first principle was extended fundamental and interdisciplinary investigations. The second one: active use of scientific achievements in practice in co-operation with industry. The third principle was well-balanced system of scientific manpower selection and training.

С From the first years of Siberian branch activity M.A. Lavrentyev placed special emphasis on the issue of scientific manpower reproduction. Thus, Novosibirsk State University was founded in 1959. Scientific contests aimed at search and support of talented youth looking forward study and work in academic establishments became traditional. Such experience of close co-operation of education and science has been innovative in many respects for that time. Afterwards this experience was taken over by domestic and foreign establishments.

During the first decade of SB RAS activity a whole number of branch research and development institutes obtained world recognition. For instance the research school of academician G.I. Budker attached to the Institute of Nuclear Physics became a world leader in the domain of accelerator physics, high-energy physics and plasma physics.

Academician V.V. Voevodsky founded domestic school of chemical radiospectrology. His investigations in the domain of spin chemistry carried out by the Institute of chemical kinetics and combustion were of high significance for the world science.

The Institute of chemical biology and fundamental medicine worked on synthesis of gene-directed biologically active compounds based on DNA fragments. This activity initiated by academician D.G. Knorre was aimed at creation of new generation medicaments.

Research school of academician A.A. Trofimuk made a unique contribution into study of natural resources of Siberia. Thanks to tenacious efforts of this outstanding researcher West Siberian, East Siberian and Lena-Yenisei oil-and-gas-bearing basins were discovered. Industrial development of these basins turned Soviet Union into world energy power.

Academician A.V. Rzhanov went down to history as originator of the first transistor in the USSR. He laid the basis for modern micro- and nano-electronics.

In 1968 five-volume edition of “History of Siberia” was published under direction of academician A.P. Okladnikov. This was an important milestone in the development of Siberian historiography.

Academician V.V. Struminsky designed swept-back wing determinant for development of supersonic aircraft.

Academician L.V. Kantorovich became Nobel laureate in economics for his contribution into the theory of optimal distribution of resources.

This list can be extended, but in the framework of brief excursus into history it is limited to a few examples illustrating the scale of research and development achievements of Siberian branch within a short period of time.

At the time of SB RAS formation a number research and development establishments based in Irkutsk and Yakutsk were included into the network as branch institutes. In 1966 Buryatsky branch institute was established. Thus a network of research centres has been gradually setting up in Siberia. The activity of these research centres was aimed at solving regional problems. Thus, Permafrost Study Institute (Yakutsky branch SB RAS) headed by academician P.I. Melnikov formed a unique scientific school to study geocryological issues. Apart from complex fundamental investigations the staff of the institute made a big contribution into solving problems of construction in permafrost conditions. Thanks to institute’s team the world’s first hydroelectric power station was built in Vilyuysk on frozen ground.

From the beginning the activity of Siberian branch of USSR Academy of Sciences was directed at solving problems of national economic development. The research staff of branch institutes worked on problems of mineral exploration, design of Baikal-Amur Mainline Railway (BAM), development of diamonds in Yakutia, protection of Alma-Ata city from mudflows, breeding of Siberian winter wheat.

Within a short period of time Novosibirsk Academgorodok became renowned in the world. A number of research schools in its framework obtained recognition of the international scientific community. In 1960-70’s a number of big high-level conferences and symposia were organized in Novosibirsk with participation of leading world researchers representing different subject domains.

ВIn 1975 academician M.A. Lavrentyev retired. Academician Marchuk Guriy Ivanovich, who made a big contribution into development of computational mathematics, meteorology and geophysics, headed the Siberian branch.

At that period of time a number of new priority tasks of Siberian academic science development were set forth. In 1978 big branch institutes were created in Krasnoyarsk and Tomsk. Strong scientific schools were formed in the framework of these institutes. Thus, the developments of Tomsk Institute of Heavy-Current Electronics, Special Design Office of scientific instrument making “Optika”, Institute of Physics of Strength and Science of Materials etc. were highly evaluated and widely applied. Such big academic establishments as Institute of Forest and Timber, Institute of Chemistry and Chemical Technologies, Institute of Biophysics were formed in Krasnoyarsk.

Another important task of that time was creation of so-called “zone of application” formed by a number of manufacturing and research-and-production enterprises aimed at active use of research developments of the Siberian branch.

In 1980 academician Valentin Afanasievich Koptyug became the Chairman of the Siberian Branch. Outstanding chemist V.A. Koptyug had worked in Academgorodok from the very early times. He started as junior researcher and became Director of the Institute of Organic Chemistry. Later he became the Rector of Novosibirsk State University.

The 1980’s, especially the epoch of Perestroika, were marked by a number of contradictory tendencies in the activity of the Siberian Branch. On the one hand, the processes of democratisation stimulated scientific community to search for new ways of solving economical, ecological and social problems of that time. On the other hand, material and technical basis of most academic establishments was getting obsolete, introduction of applied developments to practice was not efficient or lacking, staff personnel was ageing.

In 1990 the Council of Ministers of the USSR signed a resolution “On development of Siberian Branch of USSR Academy of Sciences till the year 2000”. This document was directed at taking actions on creation of new institutes and regional research centres, development of international investigations, improvement of material and technical infrastructure, accelerated development of design and experiment basis. In the same year separate academic institutes in Kemerovo, Omsk and Tyumen were re-organised into research centres of Siberian Branch of USSR Academy of Sciences. Baikal Centre for International Ecological Research was also set up in 1990. However, most of above-mentioned initiatives made a long and hard way to realization.

Notwithstanding the fact that there were positive achievements in development of the Siberian Branch in the end of the 1980’s, disintegration processes taking place after break-up of the Soviet Union caused severe crisis of the system.

Transition to market relations destroyed the former system of planned introduction of scientific developments and lead to drastic reduction of state budget financial support of science. Highly qualified young researchers were leaving scientific establishments since their only way of “survival” in new economic conditions was engagement in commercial activity. In the epoch of onrush of information technologies in the West, obsolescence of material and technical basis of most academic establishments was more and more critical. There was an objective danger of rapid loss of unique research and development potential accumulated by the Siberian Branch for decades and a danger of destruction of scientific schools and research groups.

In this situation the head of Siberian Branch V.A. Koptyug was dealing with a complex problem of withstanding destructive tendencies. Due to drastic reduction of state support of the science it was necessary to quickly adapt the fields of knowledge to extremely unstable market reality of the 1990’s.

Separate research and development groups, whose activity was of high applied significance, managed to overcome crisis tendencies and established direct relations with regional authorities and industry. Small research-and-production enterprises were formed on the basis of academic institutes. Their activity was directed at meeting requirements of individual administrative or production domains. Technology parks were also formed.

Research groups whose activity was lying in the domain of pure science were in most difficult situation. Irrespective of losses suffered in the 1990’s by the Siberian Branch and the Russian academic science on the whole it is worthy to note several important achievements, obtained on the account of selfless devotion of SB RAS researchers.

Speaking of the history of the Siberian Branch related to the 1990’s one cannot help mentioning active civil position of academician V.A. Koptyug. His position influenced formation of new moral and environmental priorities of domestic science. In 1992 at U.N.O. Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro 153 states including Russia signed a Convention on Mankind Transition to Sustainable Development. V.A. Koptyug and his associates worked on the concept of sustainable development of modern civilization and the place of Russia in it. Among 20 other prominent scientists and public men he was invited to join high-level Sustainable Development Advisory Board under U.N.O.
Ecological studies and science-based protection of environment were subjects of V.A. Koptyug’s primary concern. His active position became apparent throughout consecutive actions against the project of Siberian rivers reverse to the south, actions for preservation of cleanliness of the Baikal Lake and organization of detailed expertise at major industrial objects of Siberia.

After V.A. Koptyug’s death in 1997 academician Nikolay Leontyevich Dobretsov became the head of Siberian Branch. He was an outstanding specialist in the domain of mineralogy, geology, petrology and tectonics.

In 2008 year academician Anexandr Leonidovich Aseev became the head of Siberian Branch.

Beginning of the XXIst century can be considered as a new “point of increase” in the history of SB RAS. After the crisis of the 1990’s when the most frequent issue was a simple survival of domestic academic science the state support was gradually increasing. The support was aimed at development of innovative and high technologies in demand, upgrading of material and technical infrastructure of research and development establishments, integration of academic science and education meant for multilevel system of training and reproduction of scientific research manpower and highly qualified specialists demanded for by different branches.

At present Siberian Branch RAS includes 9 regional research centres, 75 research-and-development and design-and-technology institutes, a number of research stations (seismic, permafrost, heliogeophysical, geosphere and biosphere) with total staff 32 thousand people (Kupershtokh N.A. Research centres of Siberian Branch RAS. Novosibirsk: Academic publishing house "Geo", 2006. - p. 9).

Nowadays semi-centennial history of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences may be literally referred to one of the most important milestones of centuries-old history of Siberia development. During centuries the studies of natural resources and historical and cultural inheritance of Siberian people was mainly a destiny of the earliest explorers and metropolitan or European scientists. Presently thanks to Siberian Branch the vast North-Asia macro-region with the area of more than 10 million square kilometres possesses branched network of research and development establishments. This network is indispensable for the modern world science.