Recognizing that education is an important condition necessary for the development of public life and the economy, the author examines elite education in the natural sciences, its criterion represented by ability and talent rather than social origin or economic status. Education of such students, advocates the author, can ensure the training of a scientific elite that possesses cultural capital and has a sense of social responsibility for the consequences of the practical application of scientific achievements. In the formation of a scientific elite, focus is on the integration of the natural sciences, economic knowledge, and the humanities, to foster the formation of highly educated specialists who are able, in their scientific endeavors, to achieve creative self-realization and to be actively involved in the life of society. Characteristics of institutions and programs necessary to foster such an elite are discussed from viewpoints of both researchers and prospective students. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)