Scientific Production Association


The Scientific Production Association is a form of scientific research-to-production facility in the Soviet Union and its successor states, including Russia and Ukraine.
They first appeared in the late 1960s, after a Soviet decree was approved on 24 September 1968 to reform research and development structures; by 1980 there were 250 NPOs in the Soviet Union.
NPOs were established to consolidate research and production activities into a single entity. They were meant to bridge the technological gap between design bureaus and production plants, as new designs were often developed without considering the technical capabilities of the production facilities, leading to long delays between the start of development and serial production.
They are usually headed by a research or design organization. Though they exist in many sectors, they are most common in electrical engineering, electronics, aviation, instrument-making and chemical industries.

List of NPOs