THE CONTRIBUTION OF SCIENTISTS FROM LENINGRAD UNIVERSITIES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL POTENTIAL OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION IN THE 1950—1970-s: PAGES OF HISTORY

Abstract

In the 1950s - 1970s, the most important organizational form of higher education science was research institutes attached to higher education institutions. Having appeared in the 1920s, it proved effective. The first thematic laboratories were organized in Leningrad in 1956 at the Polytechnic Institute by Professor B.P. Konstantinov (who later became an academician) and the Electrotechnical Institute named after V.I. Ulyanov (Lenin) by Professor N.P. Bogoroditsky. The desire of scientists to increase efficiency of the research, to bring it closer to the practical needs of the national economy reflected in the organization of 13 research institutes at the Polytechnic Institute in 1963. In the 1950s - 1960s, the Leningrad State University had the previously formed research institutes: the Institute of Mathematics and Mechanics, Physical, Chemical, Biological and Physiological institutes, the Institute of the Earth’s Crust, the Geographical and Economic Institute. In 1959 – 1965, the University’s scientists completed the research on 5,300 planned topics. They performed 3,017 separate experimental and theoretical research, prepared 785 textbooks and teaching aids, completed 543 dissertations, and conducted contractual work on 955 topics. Only in 1969, 3,500 research papers created by LSU scientists were published. Among them were 107 monographs and 74 textbooks. Creative collaboration with industry workers was an integral part of the activities of the Leningrad State University’s scientists. Many of the LSU collective’s research were directly related to production needs. In 1959, the collective of the Physical faculty concluded 32 contractual works and 19 agreements on creative cooperation with industrial enterprises. In 1963, they performed research on 60 contractual topics for a total of 1,100,000 rubles, at the same time conducting 22 topics, provided by the agreements on the creative cooperation for a total amount of 1,300,000 rubles.