Did “Silicon Taiga” have a Chance? Akademgorodok and the Development of the Post-industrial Innovation System

In this article, the author endeavours to expand the historiographical dialogue concerning the prerequisites and determinants of the formation of Novosibirsk Akademgorodok, incorporating novel methodological approaches and assessing its relevance within the contemporary milieu. The author examines the establishment of this scientific enclave in conjunction with the modernisation paradigm of the Soviet Union during the postwar era, positioning it within the framework of both national and global scientific and organisational structures. The author considers the macroeconomic context within which the propagation of the Akademgorodok concept took place, with particular emphasis on its intersection with two pivotal global trends prevalent in the latter half of the 1950s and 1960s: the emergence of Big Science and the imperative of fostering a national innovation system. The underlying conceptual framework of Akademgorodok, epitomised by “Lavrentiev’s Triangle,” is proffered as the Soviet analogue of the internationally recognised “triple helix” model. Furthermore, Akademgorodok is posited as a foundational component of the Soviet innovation ecosystem, while the associated risks and constraints inherent in this model within the confines of the Soviet economic governance structure are expounded upon. The article concludes that Akademgorodok could conceivably have assumed a pivotal role within the post-industrial innovation landscape; nonetheless, due to systemic deficiencies within the Soviet economy and the reluctance to embrace sweeping economic reforms, this trajectory failed to materialise. As a result, neither under the Soviet regime, nor later, did it manage to become Russia’s “Silicon Taiga” and a trigger for the economic development of the Siberian macro-region and the country as a whole.