The Academy of Sciences was established on January 28, 1725 by the orders of Peter the Great and the governing state. The main reason for building this Academy was because of the demand for education needed for industry, transportation, and trade, and the desire to increase culture and to better educate the people of Russia. Peter also had personal goals for the academy. He wanted it to not only be a place for research, but also an “educational institute”. The building and creation of this institution was a tricky process because Peter did not want it to be similar to any of the institutes of Western Europe, he wanted it to be individual and like none ever seen before. The whole point of this academy was to “provide scientific and engineering assistance to the state in its quest for strengthening and centralization” .
At the time when this academy was being planned and constructed, the whole theory of science was still new. Concepts and ideas were being devised, and people were becoming very intrigued. “Reliable data about the nature, based on the experiment and mathematical methods, were accumulating rapidly. It was the time when life itself required a closer connection between science and practice”.
During the lifetime of this academy it has undergone many different names. It started with “the Imperial Academy of Sciences and Arts in Saint Petersburg” in 1747, this name was chosen due to regulations that had to be followed. In 1803 the name was changed to “The Imperial Academy of Sciences”. Then, once again in 1836 the name was changed to “The Imperial St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences”, then in July 1917 “The Russian Academy of Sciences”. And then in July 1925, “the USSR Academy of Sciences” and finally in December 1991 it was changed to “The Russian Academy of Sciences” once again . The academy underwent so many name changes due to all the different rulers in power, and all the changes occurring in the country.
http://www.tcaup.umich.edu/stpetersburg/nameindex.html “St. Petersburg In Architecture. The Regents of The University of Michigan. 2003. 31 March 2003.
http://www.pran.ru/eng/history/20021211024821history.html ”Russian Academy of Sciences”. 2002. 31 March 2003.