Academy has overall responsibility for development 

 of R&D in natural and social sciences. In these 

 areas, the Academy functions as a statewide center 

 for the development of science policy. It defines 

 the main directions in those fields, plans and co- 

 ordinates the R&D work, and carries out overall sci- 

 entific direction of projects on the most important 

 problems in all research institutions, regardless of 

 their departmental affiliation. Working with the re- 

 public councils of ministers, the Presidium of the 

 Soviet Academy coordinates the work of the republic 

 academies. 



The comprehensiveness of the Academy's planning 

 authority justifies designating the Academy as a cen- 

 tral-level functional agency as well as a major per- 

 forming institutional subsystem, as previously noted. 

 Together with the GKNT and Gosplan, the Academy co- 

 ordinates and develops R&D plans not only for Academy 

 institutions but also for any facility conducting 

 work in the fields under its jurisdiction. The Acad- 

 emy also makes proposals on funds, personnel, and ma- 

 terials for R&D as a whole in the USSR. With the 

 GKNT, the Academy submits proposals to the USSR Coun- 

 cil of Ministers regarding the introduction of new 

 technology into the national economy. The work of 

 the Academy, especially in the natural and social 

 sciences, is funded almost entirely from the state 

 budget, although the GKNT allegedly influences and 

 possibly controls the size of the Academy budget. 



In addition to these general responsibilities, the 

 USSR Academy and republic and branch academies direct 

 the activities of their subordinate establishments. 

 At sessions of the General Assembly, summary R&D 

 plans are approved, new research directions are dis- 

 cussed, and the creation of new facilities is con- 

 sidered. Scientific divisions, in turn, monitor the 

 formulation and execution of plans at specific facil- 

 ities . 



Finally, the Academy also engages in education, 

 especially advanced training, of scientific manpower. 

 Many Academy institutes provide programs for graduate 

 study and award advanced degrees. Many members of 

 the Academy teach in universities. 



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