Moscow State University

MSU is Russia’s first and leading university. It was founded by a decree of Empress Elizabeth on January 12^th, (Gregorian date 25th) 1755. The establishment of the Moscow University was the initiative of Ivan Shuvalov, a patron of arts, and Mikhail Lomonosov, the famous Enlightenment scholar of grassroots origin whose name has been bearing since 1940.

The main university of the country tops most Russian ratings. The university holds its own Lomonosov Olympiad for school students with the winners entitled to enroll in Moscow State University out of competition (conditional on having successfully passed the state exam). The University provides education in all major classical disciplines.

The University is often referred to under the well-known abbreviation, MSU. The University includes 15 research institutes, 43 departments, more than 300 faculties and 6 branches (including 5 based abroad, all in CIS countries). Since 1992 Moscow State University has been headed by the Rector, academician Viktor Antonovich Sadovnichy.

A huge scientific potential along with unique opportunities for interdisciplinary research enable researchers at the University to focus on top-priority, pioneering directions in sciences.

Recent years have been marked by major advances in the study of high-energy physics, high-temperature superconductivity, laser systems, mathematics and mechanics, renewable energy, biochemistry and biotechnology. In the field of humanities, new directions are explored in the development of topical issues of sociology, political economy, history, psychology, philosophy, history of culture. Every year, up to 800 candidate and 200 doctoral theses on various fields of knowledge are defended at the Moscow University.

In 2019 Moscow State University ranked among the Top 50 world’s best universities (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019 published by the UK-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS)) in five subjects at once, including linguistics (21^st place), physics and astronomy (26^th place), modern languages (33^rd place), mathematics (34^th place) and computer science (48^th place).

University scientists are actively involved in innovation, cooperating successfully with many companies and organizations pursuing the development of new technologies and have established dozens of small innovative enterprises – mainly in the field of chemistry and new materials, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, ecology and environmental management.

Moscow State University also maintains extensive international ties – it is a member of the Eurasian Association of Universities, has direct cooperation agreements with more than 60 foreign scientific centers and associations, educational institutions of Europe, the USA, Japan, China, other Asian countries, Australia, Latin America, Arab states.

Since 1946, when the first foreign students appeared, the University has trained more than 11,000 highly proficient specialists in diverse fields for 150 countries of the world. Every year more than two thousand foreign students and postgraduates study at Moscow State University.

Dr. Sadovnichy has Graduated from the Lomonosov Moscow University in 1963. He is titled an Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Physics and Mathematics (1974), Professor (1975). Dr. Sadovnichy is a Fellow of the Russian Academy of Sciences (1997).

While studying, he was active in community work, chairing the Student Committee of the University and the departmental Communist Youth organization. After graduating from the Department of Mechanics and Mathematics with a degree in Mathematics, he was recommended for graduate studies and graduated pre-term in 1966.

He was a student of A.G. Kostyuchenko.

Dr. Sadovnichy was elected the Rector of Moscow State University on March 23^rd, 1992 in an alternative vote.

He was re-elected in 1996, 2001, 2005 (in a one-candidate vote).

Dr. Sadovnichy is an Honorary Fellow of the Russian Academy of Education. He has been an associated fellow of the Russian Academy of Sciences since 1994 and a fellow of RAS since 1997, elected to the Presidium of the RAS and has served as the Vice President of the RAS since 2008. Dr. Sadovnichy has been awarded a title of honorary doctor by many universities of the world. He heads the Russian Union of Rectors.

He is a member of the editorial boards of many Russian and foreign scientific journals. He is the author of about 300 scientific publications, including 40 monographs, textbooks and handbooks. Forty candidate theses and ten doctoral theses (including those by scientists outside of Russia) have been prepared under Dr. Sadovnichy's scientific guidance.

Since December 2002 he has been a member of the political council of the Moscow regional branch of the United Russia Party. He carried the vote in the 2003 elections on the Moscow list of United Russia. Dr. Sadovnichy was Mr. Putin’s trustee in the presidential election. He participated in the 2011 primary.

In 2004 Dr. Sadovnichy was named Man of the Year in the Education and Science nomination by the People of the Year project.

On February 6^th, 2012 he was officially registered as a trustee of the Russian presidential candidate Vladimir Putin.

Dr. Sadovnichy is a member of the Board of Trustees of the State Academic Small Theater of Russia.

He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Oleg Deripaska’s Volnoye Delo Charitable Foundation.

He is a member of the Russian Presidential Council on Science and High Technologies, a member of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Dr. Sadovnichy is the President of the Russian Union of Rectors of Higher Educational Institutions and the President of the Eurasian Association of Universities which brings together all leading universities from CIS countries. He is an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Education, a member of the Collegium of the Ministry of Education, the Scientific Council under the Security Council of the Russian Federation, the Council on Russian Language under the Government of the Russian Federation, and a member of the Council Under the President of the Russian Federation for the Implementation of Priority National Projects.

As the Rector of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, academician V. A. Sadovnichy in 2015 came up with the initiative to establish a valley of science and technology of Moscow State University on territories newly acquired by the Moscow University. The initiative of the Rector of MSU was upheld by Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation, who gave the following instructions for the creation of the Vorobyovy Gory Valley of Science and Technology: Develop and ensure adoption of a Federal Law "On Valleys of Science and Technology"; to establish the Vorobyovy Gory Valley of Science and Technology, providing that the Lomonosov Moscow State University is the founder of a Foundation to be established for the purpose of infrastructural, scientific and methodological support of the Valley’s activities, and the founder of an Operating Company to be established for the implementation of the project on the creation and operation of the Valley.

The main idea behind the creation of the STIC is to turn the new territories of Moscow State University into a world-class innovative ecosystem that would enable pursuit of priority directions of Russia’s scientific and technological development, boost the investment case for research and development and commercialization of research findings, facilitate access of individuals and companies to perspective, commercially attractive scientific, research and technology projects.

On November 19^th, 2019, on the day of the 308th anniversary of the birth of Mikhail Lomonosov, the founder of Moscow University, a stele was unveiled by Viktor Sadovnichy, the Rector of Moscow State University, at the site of the future Vorobyovy Gory Science, Innovation and Technology Center (STIC) of Moscow State University, thus starting the construction of the technology valley.