Due to its vast resources Siberia has always been and remains the essential region for all of Russia. Where there are resources, there will be industry, and where there is industry, there will always be a need for scientific personnel. Following this simple logic, Novosibirsk Akademgorodok was established in the heart of Siberia, and in a short while Novosibirsk State University became its most  valuable and integral part.

In the late 50s Siberia provided the country with 75% of coal and possessed 80% of its hydropower resources. Siberia quickly became industrial, but science was largely the applied type which did not satisfy the needs. The USSR Academy of Sciences decided there was a need for fundamental science. To pursue fundamental science they needed a new type of professional. They needed a lot of potential employees that corresponded to this new profile. Thus, Novosibirsk State University was born.