Asymmetric competition: classical universities and struggle for scientific leadership during the late Soviet period

The article characterizes the process of universities' struggle for scientific leadership during the late Soviet period, in light of government approaches to the allocation of resources for the development of the research sphere. In the 1930s, the Soviet government gave universities their own unique identity, but priority in organizing and financing advanced scientific research was given to the Academy of Sciences and industrial research institutes. This imbalance continued throughout the Soviet period. Under these circumstances, universities faced asymmetric competition. They needed to find additional funding by following the dominant ideas of the Soviet establishment about the criteria for useful scientific research - one that gives quick results with a noticeable impact on the national economy. In this struggle, a few leaders emerged (no more than 10% of all universities), among which a number of old Russian universities, such as those in Moscow, Leningrad, Kazan, Tomsk, etc., occupied a prominent place. As a result, there was a bias towards applied developments, and little support was given to fundamental and especially humanities research. This was due to universities seeking their place in changing political and public context. This feature is characteristic of post-Soviet universities, which, after finding their niche in the Soviet apparatus empire, moved away from the canonical image of a classical university. This shift seems paradoxical, because often this image has pushed universities towards the path of struggle for scientific leadership.