Abstract: The medieval universities fostered a social and cultural atmosphere for the consciousness of freedom and tolerance of Western scholarly ctivities. In the 17th century， research activities on nature underwent a fundamental change: research on nature turned from an individual cause or an adjunct to a social cause and a profession. The Naples “Research Society on the Secrets of Nature” set up in 1560 and the English “Philosophy Society” founded in the 1640s ushered in the era of the institutionalization of scientific community. Such integrated research institutions as the Royal Society and the Paris Academy of Sciences， as well as the foundation of special research institutions like observatories in Europe and the United States， constituted the basic pattern of the institutionalization of scientific community. In the process of such transformation， the material support for research from governments and various social forces played a crucial role.

Key words: social and cultural atmosphere, liberalism, scientific community, institutionalization