Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University

Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University (IKBFU; Russian: Балтийский федеральный университет имени Иммануила Канта) is a public research university located in the exclave of Kaliningrad, Russia.

It is the oldest university in the Kaliningrad region, formed on the land of the former East Prussia and in Europe. It was originally known as the University of Koenigsberg (Albertina), which was founded in 1544.

As a result of World War II, Russia annexed the city of Königsberg from Prussia and renamed it Kaliningrad, therefore the establishment was named Kaliningrad State University (1946–2005), then in 2005 the university was renamed Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University in honor of Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher. The university claims to maintain the traditions of its German predecessor, the University of Königsberg.^[1]

It was known as the University of Koenigsberg (Albertina), which was founded in 1544. Also, this higher educational institution is also known for the fact that one of its graduates is one of the most outstanding European philosophers — Immanuel Kant.^[2][3][4] It was East Prussia's sole university and was specially regarded for its mathematics and astronomy. The campus was severely damaged by British aerial bombing in August 1944 during World War II. The Albertina was closed after Königsberg was captured by the Red Army in 1945.^[5] In 1947, the university, already under new leadership, resumed work, but now as the Kaliningrad State Pedagogical Institute (KSPI).^[6]

Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University remembers its continuity from the Konigsberg University ("Albertina") and considers it its predecessor.^[7][8]

After the war, Königsberg was renamed Kaliningrad and the Russophone Kaliningrad State Pedagogical Institute used the old campus from 1948 to 1967, including the main Albertina building inaugurated in 1862. In 1967, the institute received the status of a university and became known as Kaliningrad State University. In 2005, during the celebrations of the 750th anniversary of the founding of Königsberg, President Vladimir Putin of Russia and Chancellor Gerhard Schröder of Germany announced that the university would be renamed Immanuel Kant Russian State University in honour of Immanuel Kant.^[5]

As of 2005, the university consisted of twelve faculties with courses ranging from Natural Sciences to the Humanities. It had approximately 12,800 students enrolled, both undergraduate and post-graduate, and 580 faculty staff. IKSUR's Kant Society was created to study Kantianism, or Kantian philosophy. The university is also interested in the historical connections between Königsberg and Russia as far back as the 16th century.^[5]

In 2010–2011, the university underwent an enlargement and rebranding process which will lead to changing its name from Immanuel Kant Russian State University to Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University.^[5]

The Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University of today is an educational, scientific, cultural and enlightenment centre of the westernmost region of Russia.

• The university implements more than 300 educational programmes in the fields of secondary, vocational and higher education as well as continuing and post-university education.
• The university employs 900 teaching staff.
• The total number of students and doctoral students exceeds 14,000.
• List of the IKBFU educational programmes participating in the "Best educational programme of innovative Russia" project, which is being carried out by the Guild of professional education experts, the National centre of public accreditation and the editorial board of the Akkreditathsiya v obrazovanii magazine:

Social and cultural services and tourism; Law; Services; Interpreting and translation studies; Applied mathematics and informatics; Marketing; Mathematical maintenance and administration of information systems; Tourism; Mathematics; Philosophy; Journalism; Transport management and logistics.

Percentage of students according to the major fields of study

• Humanities 37.2%
• Economics and Management 12.4%
• Services 10.7%
• Natural Sciences 10.4%
• Physical and Mathematical Sciences 8.2%
• Transport 5.8%
• Education and Pedagogy 4.4%
• Healthcare 4.0%
• Information Security 2.8%
• Electronic and Radio Engineering and Communications 1.6%
• Social Sciences 1.5%
• Culture and Arts 1.0%

In 2020, the university was ranked #1,000+ in the Times Higher Education World University Ranking (THE WUR), and in 2022 it was ranked #2,350 in the Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities.^[10][11]

A science park was set up at the university in 2008. The major task of the park is the concentration of research potential.

The level of international cooperation places IKBFU amongst the top ten higher educational institutions of Russia. The aim of the International Office is managing and coordinating international activities of the university as a whole, its students and Ph.D. candidates, teachers and staff members.

• Koenigsberg Observatory
• Political philosophy of Immanuel Kant
• Rechtsstaat
• Rule according to higher law

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