Immanuel Kant State University of Russia (IKSUR) began life as Kaliningrad State Pedagogical Institute (1948-1967), which was one of the first institutions of higher education established in the Kaliningrad region. In 1967 it attained university status and became Kaliningrad State University. In 2005 the University was renamed after Immanuel Kant and attained federal status as Immanuel Kant State University of Russia.
At present IKSUR is the leading educational, research and cultural centre in the Kaliningrad region, the western-most part of Russia. It is committed to maintaining the best of traditional methods of the Russian state system of higher education as well as to adopting the best of innovative and up-to-date approaches to research and teaching.
IKSUR is a classical university, offering a diverse range of traditional disciplines from both the Natural Sciences and the Humanities. However, the spectrum of taught courses is steadily growing, as the University is constantly introducing new cutting-edge courses designed to meet the changing demands of the region.
IKSUR consists of 12 faculties and has approximately 12800 students, engaged in undergraduate and postgraduate courses. Alongside Russian students from the Kaliningrad region and other parts of Russia, IKSUR educates young people from Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Poland, Germany and other countries. Currently the academic staff consists of 580 people, among them are 273 associate professors, 64 full professors, 20 academicians and corresponding members of Russian and international Academies of Sciences.
IKSUR maintains the traditions of its predecessor - Koenigsberg University "Albertina" founded by Duke Albrecht in 1544. The history of Albertina is littered with the names of famous academics: Johann Hamann, Johann Herder, Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel, Herman Helmholtz, David Hilbert. The University's greatest alumnus is Immanuel Kant, whose name will be forever linked with the city of Koenigsberg and Albertina University.
IKSUR has an established tradition of studying the heritage of Albertina. It is actively involved in Kant studies and established the Kant Society to explore various aspects of his philosophy. Research on the history of science at Koenigsberg University and the study of works by the Albertina scientists and writers have resulted in the publication of a number of research papers. Special priority is given to the study of cultural links between Koenigsberg and Russia, which began in the 16th century. The IKSUR library is actively engaged in the restoration of the former Koenigsberg libraries, including the Wallenrodt library, one of the most famous book collections in Europe from that period.
Apart from being the leading educational establishment of the Kaliningrad region, IKSUR is also a large research centre. Research results and achievements by staff and students feed into teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level. The number of regional, all-Russian and international research conferences hosted by IKSUR is steadily increasing each year. IKSUR researchers play a major role in solving economic, political, environmental and cultural problems in the Kaliningrad region. The results of the research are regularly published by the IKSUR Press, which annually produces more than 100 textbooks and collections of research papers. Current research activities are given full coverage in the University's newspaper "Universitet" as well as on the IKSUR website.
One of the University's strengths is its international cooperation. IKSUR has fostered many links with the universities of the Baltic Sea region, France, Greece and USA. IKSUR is an active and enthusiastic member of a number of international projects funded by the EU and other sources. The University also has a full membership in the European University Association.
The University has 10 buildings, which provide over 36,000 m of teaching and learning space. There are 3 halls of residence. Additional resources include numerous research labs as well as 2 field sites. IKSUR is proud of the University Museum and the Botanical Garden.
