St. Petersburg Branch of Vavilov Institute for the History of Science and Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Director - Prof. Eduard I. Kolchinsky

St. Petersburg Branch was founded in 1953 as a subdivision of the Institute for History of Science and Technology of the USSR Academy of Sciences which is situated in Moscow.

Basic research areas. History of the Academy of Sciences and scientific institutions; history and theory of evolutionary conceptions; history of technical sciences and engineering; sociology of science and conceptions of science; history of Central Asia studying.

Main scientific achievements.* The Branch has accomplished fundamental research of History of the Academy of Sciences, its separate institutions, international contacts of the Academy and its expert activity; history of different branches of sciences in Russia. Monographs "Istoriya Akademii Nauk SSSR" (History of the USSR Academy of Sciences, vol.1-2, 1958-1964), Yu. Kh. Kopelevich "Osnovanie Peterburgskoy Akademii Nauk" (The Foundation of Petersburg Academy of Sciences, 1977), books by E.P.Ozhigova, N.I.Nevskaya, A.V.Koltsov have been published. They reflect the Academy's activity as an important factor in the country's cultural life and as one of the largest international scientific centers. World popularity was gained by the Branch's works on history of evolutionary theories: four volumes of B.E.Raikov's works "Russkie biologi-evolutsionisty do Darvina" (Russian Biologists-Evolutionists before Darwin, 1952-1959), K.M.Zavadsky's "Razvitie Evolutsionnoy teorii posle Darvina" (The Development of Evolutionary Theory after Darwin, 1973) and "Razvitie Evolutsionnoy Teorii v SSSR" (The Development of the Evolutionary Theoty in the USSR, edited by E.I.Kolchinsky, 1983).

Recent scientific achievements. On the extensive base of new sources which were inaccessible previously fundamental books on history of Soviet science have been prepared and published: "Repressirovannaya nauka" (Repressed Science, vols. 1-2, ed. M.G.Yaroshevsky, 1991-1994), "Stalinist Science" (L.N.Krementsov, in English, 1997),"V poiskah sovetskogo "soyuza" filosofii i biologii" (In Search of a Soviet "Union" of Philosophy and Biology, E.I.Kolchinsky, 1999), "Akademiya nauk i rossijskaya shkola" (The Academy of Sciences and Russian School, G.I.Smagina, 1996), "Leningradskie uchrezhdeniya AN SSSR v 1934-1945 gg." (Leningrad Institutions of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1934-1945, A.V.Koltsov, 1997), "Sozdanie i deyatel'nost' Komissii po izucheniyu estestvennyh proizvoditel'nyh sil Rossii. 1915-1930" (Creation and activity of the Committee on studies of natural productive forces of Russia. 1915-1930, A.V.Koltsov, 1999), "Istoriya otechestvennogo sudostroeniya v pervoi chetverti XX veka" (A History of Shipbuilding in Russia in the first Quarter of the XX Century, 1995), "Letopis' Akademii nauk. 1724-1801" (A Chronicle of the Academy of Sciences. Vol. 1. 1724-1801, 2000), series of collected works "Nemtsy v Rossii" (Germans in Russia, ed. G.I.Smagina, 1997-2000), "Deyateli russkoi nauki" (Persons of Russian Science, ed. M.F.Khartanovich, 2000), "Vydayuschiesya otechestvennye biologi" (Outstanding Russian Biologists, ed. E.I.Kolchinsky).

International scientific cooperation. The Branch carries out publications of Euler's works (in cooperation with Munich Museum of History of Technology), Kepler's works (with Bavarian Academy of Sciences), Leibniz's works (with Berlin Academy of Sciences). It conducts joint projects with Hannover, Tьbingen and other universities in Germany.

Scientific journals. The Branch takes an active part in publishing a journal "Voprosy Istorii Estestvoznaniya i Tekhniki" (VIET). (In Russian)

* All publications in Russian