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Soviet Union [USSR] SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY:
Marked by highly developed pure science and innovation at
theoretical level, but interpretation and application fell short.
Biology, chemistry, materials science, mathematics, and physics,
were fields in which Soviet citizens have excelled. Science
emphasized at all levels of educations, and very large number of
engineers graduate each year. Shortfall in science and technology
can be attributed to centrally planned and controlled economy and
to priority given to national security, all of which provided
little incentive to design and create prototypes of products for
mass market. Without orders from central government, no product
design and prototype saw fruition or stimulated innovation of other
products. Soviet regimes, in many cases, have chosen to adopt
foreign technology rather than to invest money, talent time and to
develop Soviet Union's indigenous technological capacity.
Data as of May 1989
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