Results of the fourth annual rating of Russian universities, prepared by the Agency, served as an analytical base of the forum as well as the first ranking of the best schools on the quality of graduates preparation for entry into leading universities of Russia.
It is to be recalled that by results of the All-Russian rating RAEX (Expert RA) MEPhI has improved its last year's result, rising fr om the fourth to the third position. Simultaneously the top 200 schools were revealed on the basis of the data analysis of the top 20 institutions fr om the rating. According to it MEPhI Preuniversitary was ranked the third.
The forum included a panel discussion, at which the heads of leading Russian and foreign universities, members of the International Association IREG Observatory and mass media discussed competitiveness problems of Russian higher education institutions in the conditions of economic instability, as well as analyzed experience of competitiveness increase.
A plenary session “Competitiveness of universities: contra crisis potential” was attended by rectors of leading Russian universities: Lomonosov Moscow State University, MEPhI, MIPT, Tomsk Polytechnic University, Ural Federal University, RANEPA, Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Moscow Power Engineering Institute, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, Russian State University for the Humanities. A Chairman of the Board of a RAEX International group, General Director of Rating Agency “Expert RA” D.E. Grishankov moderated the plenary session.
The main topics of discussion were prospects for the development of a program “5-100” during a crisis; the pros and cons of a ruble devaluation for high schools; secondary schools’ rating: a collective portrait of the best “applicants foundries”; and experience of universities in regional competition for gifted people. Special attention was paid to “government contract” for high school, where participants agreed that universities must have some target figures, then as now a system of monitoring and identifying necessary staff needs a serious development.
There were active discussions on the first results of the program “5-100”. Almost unanimously participants noted its undoubted benefits, however, focused on changes that still have to be done in integration of the Russian higher school into the international space. At the moment there is a difference in domestic and foreign specifics of the higher education system that is not considered in rating, thereby exerting a negative impact on global positions of Russian universities. According to the participants, “this is a good incentive to optimize national education, based on the best Russian traditions”.
The panel discussion ended with an interactive voting on a theme “Improvement of universities’ competitiveness”, wh ere participants identified the main problems of modern higher education in Russia.
In addition to the panel discussion there were also two sections which were attended by pro-rectors for specialized affairs of the leading Russian universities and representatives of an expert community. The first section was devoted to a theme “Universities and employers: interdependence as a development strategy”, wh ere participants discussed issues of creation and development of basic departments in Russia, impact of the crisis on training, cooperation of universities with business and readiness of higher school for challenges of industrial modernization.
The second section was devoted to extra-budgetary funding of universities. The participants discussed the following topics: practice and prospects of endowment funds, development of commercialization of applied science in universities, and higher educational institutions in the field of postgraduate education. A MEPhI representative pro-rector A.N. Petrovsky spoke about the current state of commercialization process of innovative products developed at the University. According to him, a traditional educational role of the University has already changed to research and is now being transformed into a business one. A certain infrastructure is created around the University, which allows offering an industrial enterprise not just a certified sample, but a finished product or technology, accompanied by a full service portfolio, including technological marketing and personnel training. Today innovations are a kind of economic and effective indicator of scientific research of higher school.
The forum included a ceremony of awarding the best universities of Russia according to the results of the 4th ranking. Rating Agency (RAEX) has awarded MEPhI a diploma for high citation index of scientific publications.
Overall, the forum showed a great interest in competitiveness increase of Russian universities. MEPhI as a leading engineering University in Russia will continue to develop its participation in projects aimed at integration into the international educational space.
