In accordance with the priorities of the development of science, technologies and techniques of the Russian Federation is executed the estimation of the number of effectively acting centres for the collective use of scientific equipment (CCU) in the following six fields of knowledge: biotechnology; medicine and public health; new materials and nanotechnology; rational nature management; power engineering, energy-effectiveness and energy-economy; information technologies. The authors offer comparison criteria and method of ranking, providing a network assessment СCU in each of these areas of knowledge
Keywords: centres for collective use, priorities in development of science, comparison criteria