The paper presents the main lines of fundamental and applied research currently performed by the laboratory. It is pointed out that there is now a tendency to abandoning narrow specialization for the primary element of academic science — a research laboratory. Under the present conditions of poor financing of scientific activities, the interdisciplinary character of research is conceived to be more useful for integration with scientists from other institutions and higher school at both collective and individual levels. This would lead to positive effects in both scientific and economic terms.