The Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences is a network comprising science centres and institutes situated in administrative centres of the regions of Siberia: in Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Kemerovo, Omsk, Tomsk, Tyumen, Ulan-Ude and Yakutsk. There are single institutes in Barnaul, Kyzyl and Chita.

When compiling the list of institutes to be organised in the science centres, founders of the SB RAS kept in mind the necessity of solving priority problems in pure science and allied fields of research. They also took account of natural and historical prerequisites, as well as economic and social needs of each particular region of Siberia. Institutes of the SB RAS work closely with universities and higher schools, with business and industry in their regions.

The science centres of the SB RAS are mostly arranged as isolated science towns on the outskirts of large cities (Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk and Tomsk) or form campuses inside the cities (Ulan-Ude, Yakutsk). Some of them (Kemerovo, Omsk and Tyumen centres) have not formed isolated communities.

The campuses (Akademgorodoks) territorially unite research and design institutes, pilot plants, residential areas equipped with social, cultural and health care services, kindergartens, schools, etc. They have a well-developed municipal infrastructure, including water service and public electric supply, transport service, hotels, conference halls, business centres, modern communication services, etc.

Administrations of republics, territories and regions of Siberia offer support to science centres and research institutes of the SB RAS. In some regions, local legislative acts of science and technology strategy have been adopted. Local authorities of most regions have signed agreements on joint activities with the Russian Academy of Sciences or the Siberian Branch of the RAS.

In a number of regions (the Republic of Buryatia, Irkutsk and Tomsk regions), regional authorities together with the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the Russian Foundation for the Humanities launch joint calls for proposals for basic research on regional problems. Local science foundations have been set up to fund, on an open competition, research and development projects responding to basic interests of the regions. Research institutions are granted local tax privileges.