Scientific and Educational Collaborations as a Tool to Increase the Competitiveness of Russian Universities
Authors: Anokhova E. V. , Shtykhno D. A. 
Published: May 2021

The purpose of the study is to determine the prerequisites and conditions for the creation of consortia as an organizational form of collaboration of scientific organizations and universities to ensure their competitiveness in the global education and science market within the framework of the implementation of national projects. The national project in the field of education and science is aimed at ensuring the high quality of higher education and its accessibility, increasing the level of cooperation of higher education institutions and scientific institutions, which will make it possible to commercialize the results of scientific activities more productively and, ultimately, ensure Russia’s entry into the number of advanced countries in the world in terms of scientific research and their impact. Among the main tasks of the research is to identify problems associated with the need to improve approaches in the implementation of projects to create scientific and educational consortia.

 Materials and methods. The research is based on the materials obtained by the authors in the course of the implementation of a number of consulting and educational projects carried out jointly with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation to ensure the financial stability of universities. In the course of interviews and analysis of statistical and functional reports (on scientific activities, self-examination reports, performance monitoring, etc.), data were obtained and summarized to assess the effectiveness of the implementation of strategic planning programs, as well as the effectiveness of cooperation projects between universities, local authorities and business.

Research results. Analysis of trends in the development of scientific and educational communications showed that reliance on collaboration can serve as a factor in the sustainable development of scientific and educational organizations. In recent years, there has been an intensive search for the most effective organizational and financial instruments to ensure the promotion of Russian universities in the leading international rankings. It is shown that the most effective organizational mechanism for achieving the set goals is the integration of educational and scientific organizations in the form of consortia. It was revealed that for the formation of scientific and educational consortia, it is necessary to have not only the appropriate infrastructure for the work of scientific teams, but first of all to have projects, the implementation of which will make it possible to make a breakthrough in educational and scientific activities. An important factor influencing the formation and development of consortia is that their creation is a prerequisite for participation in the strategic academic leadership program. In this regard, the study focuses on the need to use assessment indicators by the project management from the side of the state, which would provide a full assessment of the effectiveness of the funds provided in the form of a grant.

Conclusion. The results of the research show that at the state level there is a search for new forms and mechanisms that would allow for the intensive development of Russian education and science. The main instrument for the implementation of state policy in this area is represented by national projects that set the main parameters for development. It is planned to increase the number of universities that will be able to receive grant support as members of scientific and educational consortia. Certain problems have been identified that may affect the effectiveness of the activities of educational and scientific organizations in collaborations.