In picturesque suburb of Leningrad, at the ancient town of Gatchina, the construction of the branch of the A. F. loffe Physical-Technical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR began in 1954, where the research activities in the field of nuclear physics must be concentrated. In December 1959 the research reactor WWR-M was put into operation, and in 1970 —1 GeV proton synchrocyclotron, remaining the main physical facilities of the Institute up to the present. By that time the direction of biological investigations was formed.

In 1971 the branch of the PTI was reorganized into an independent Institute named in honour of Academician B. P. Konstantinov who played a decisive role in its advancement. In 1992 it received the name "Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute" (PNPI). In 1994 PNPI was given the status of State Research Center of Russia.

At present the staff of the Institute includes more than 600 scientists and about 1000 engineers, among them there are 62 doctors and 275 candidates of science. The works carried out in the Institute were awarded Lenin and State Prizes, B. P. Konstantinov Academic Prize, 5 scientists were elected Corresponding Members of the Academy of Sciences.

• Russian Research Centre "Kurchatov Institute"

• B. P. Konstantinov Leningrad Nuclear Physics Institute of the USSR Academy of Sciences
• The Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute, The National Research Center "Kurchatov Institute"