Siberian Federal University was established by the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation on the 28th of November, 2006. The institution integrated four large higher education institutions (Krasnoyarsk State Technical University, Krasnoyarsk State Academy of Architecture and Civil Construction, Krasnoyarsk State University, State University of Non-Ferrous Metals and Gold) into one 43 000-student university. The first two institutions can trace their roots back to 1956 when Krasnoyarsk Polytechnic Institute, the predecessor of these institutions, was founded. The Institute of Nonferrous Metals was set up as a branch of the Moscow Mining Academy, which was founded in 1918. Krasnoyarsk State University was established in 1969 as an institution working in close partnership with the Russian Academy of Sciences. The aim of the merger was to build a pool of skilled specialists to contribute to the emergence of the area as a significant industrial centre, with the well-qualified workforce, natural resources and industries to compete globally.