Criteria of the innovative university as viewed by high school professionals

"National Projects of High Priority" programme plans to perform competitive selection of high educational institutions according to criteria established by Russian Ministry of Science and Education. Winners will be supported in order to become and develop as innovative universities.

Russian Ministry of Science and Education published "Competitive Selection Criteria For Innovative High Educational Institutions Approvable For Fellowships Of President of the Russian Federation" project last November. "Criteria For Selection of Innovative High Educational Institutions" were announced December of the same year. Said document was developed during expert workshop, in which regional executive authorities, businessmen, main regional employers and eminent academic fellows took part.

However, despite great amount of work that experts have done, the results are not convincing anyone that said criteria could really help in selecting innovative high educational institutions from a variety of educational institutions. Experts think this happened because suggested criteria do not consider establishment and development processes of innovative universities.

In 2003 (within the initiative of Russian Association of Engineering Education and Russian Ministry of Education) six leading Russian technical universities (Tomsk Polytechnic University, Moscow Bauman State Technical University, Saint Petersburg State Polytechnic University, Saint Petersburg State Electrotechnical University, State Technical University of South Russia and State University of South Urals) studied issues of development of Russian universities as academic innovative structures. The research was aimed at enhancing their role in national innovation policy, which is still being formed. The research resulted in developing the concept of academic innovative university and formulating directions and technologies for transforming ordinary universities into innovative ones. Results were published in numerous articles, and some aspects of studies were reflected in the monograph for high school management and reported on various Russian and international meetings.

Different authorities (Science & Technology Board of Russian Ministry of Education, Russian Academy of Science, State Duma's Science & Education Committee) approved the concept, directions and technologies - conclusions and recommendations - of creating national innovative. Late 2005 the Federal Education Agency assigned Tomsk Polytechnic University to form and implement general concept and criteria for an innovative university in 2006-2007. Tomsk University started the mission two or three months ago and drew many outstanding people in science and education sphere - deans, professors, and heads of departments. Today the team has come out with the basis for system approach to evaluating criteria of an innovative university. The results were forwarded to the Federal Education Agency. The whole study was based on the scientific research of leading technical universities.

The criteria are based on seven aspects of innovative university:

1. Development of innovative education system, which results in training of professionals, able to provide positive changes in their professional sphere with further changes in Russia's economy and social sphere.
2. Advanced training of world standard high professionals based on integration of education, scientific research and industry.
3. Maintenance of university traditions and development of innovative activities, which provides integration of academic values and business activities.
4. Formation of innovative corporate culture of a university and internal competitive environment.
5. Development of university's interaction infrastructure for interactions with the environment; formation of strategic partnership with higher educational institutions, academic science, business and power authorities.
6. Diversification of funding sources for a university and active fundraising.
7. Development of adaptive university management system as a self-learning structure.

These aspects reflect basic processes and show directions for constructive activities transforming traditional universities to innovative ones.

Each aspect includes space for criterion scores of its realization, which forms the basis for various criterion formations for confirming aspect realization. Such an approach provides necessary completeness for each criterion, as well as everything for its correct interpretation.

Aspect 1
Development of innovative education system, which results in training of professionals, able to provide positive changes in their professional sphere with further changes in Russia's economy and social sphere.

Suggested Criteria:

Quantitative criteria:

• Ratio of graduated professionals, who received team training for innovative programmes (including those with employer participation);
• Ratio of university educational courses, taught through active educational technologies (case-study, experience-based training, team work training, project and problem oriented technologies, context training, business games, etc), and world information resources;
• Ratio of interdisciplinary programmes;
• Ratio of students, who took additional training and skill improvement in the field of innovation technologies;
• Ratio of university educational courses based upon credit rating system and person-oriented management of academic activities.

Qualitative criteria:

Innovative university should have:

• A system of educational courses' development based on professional competency of a candidate, who was trained for performing innovative activities;
• A guiding system for graduates' professional career with constant advanced training in the field of innovations.

Aspect 2
Advanced training of world standard high professionals, which is based on integration of education, scientific research and industry.

Suggested Criteria:

Quantitative criteria:

• Ratio of university educational courses accredited by international professional institutions;
• Ratio of university educational courses accredited by national social and professional institutions;
• Ratio of university educational courses, taught on foreign languages involving world information resources;
• Ratio of university educational courses, providing professional training in breakthrough technologies in science and technology (including interdisciplinary courses);
• Ratio of educational collaborations with foreign universities;
• Ratio of students, who took part in academic exchange programs;
• Ratio of teachers, who took part in academic exchange programs;
• Ratio of foreign students in a university.

Qualitative criteria:

Innovative university should have:
 

• A system for selection, training and support of gifted students and teachers.

Expert criteria:
 

• Demand on university graduates in innovative economy spheres (science, production, business, management).

Aspect 3
Maintenance of university traditions and development of innovative activities, which provides integration of academic values and business activities.

Suggested Criteria:

Quantitative criteria:

• Amount of full-time students in a university;
• Total budget of scientific research, performed by the university (mln rubles), annual average and 5-year average;
• State funding for scientific research (mln rubles), annual average and 5-year average;
• Funds received as a result of innovative activities (mln rubles) during last year (including interdisciplinary fields);
• Amount of students, involved in business incubators for the recent year;
• Ratio of teaching and research assistants with academic titles and degrees;
• Ratio of professors and doctors of science;
• Ratio of teaching and research assistants with academic titles and degrees, who are younger than 40;
• Doctoral dissertation defenses: per year and for last five years;
• PhD dissertation defenses: per year and for last five years;
• Amount of patents: average per year and for last five years;
• Published monographs: average per year and for last five years;
• Scientific publications: average per year and for last five years; per one academic fellow.

Qualitative criteria:

Innovative university should have:

• System for control of intellectual property and commercialization of science and technology developments;
• Science and technology parks, centres, incubators, enterprises, which produce innovative products;
• Full cycle of manufacturing innovative products.

Expert criteria:

• Scientific schools of world standards;
• University's impact on regional (national) economy development.

Aspect 4
Formation of innovative corporate culture of a university and internal competitive environment..

Qualitative criteria:

Innovative university should have:

• System for monitoring and formation of innovative corporate university culture;
• Motivation systems stimulating staff innovative activities;
• Personnel reserve systems;
• University's corporate social responsibility systems.

Aspect 5
Development of university's interaction infrastructure for interactions with the environment; formation of strategic partnership with higher educational institutions, academic science, business and power authorities.

Suggested Criteria:

Quantitative criteria:

• State order for professional training (students, who entered first year of studies through state order);
• Amount of university joint programmes with academic institutes, enterprises and institutions;
• Amount of strategic partnership agreements with institutions and enterprises;
• Amount of national professional associations and organizations, where a university has a membership;
• Amount of foreign and international associations and professional organizations, where a university has a membership.

Qualitative criteria:

Innovative university should have:
 

• A system for environmental monitoring and marketing of labor markets, high-end technologies, educational services and other profile markets.

Expert criteria

• National and international ratings of innovative university;
• University's involvement into solving problems of regional innovative development;
• University activities aimed at generating legislative initiatives, providing cooperation between innovative university and its environment.

Aspect 6
Diversification of funding sources for a university and active fundraising

Suggested Criteria:

Quantitative criteria:

• Amount of university funding sources;
• Total amount of funds engaged to the university through innovative and business activities (mln rubles): average annual and for last three years;
• Total amount of funds engaged to the university through scientific research (mln rubles): average annual and for last five years;
• Total amount of funds engaged to the university through extra-budgetary educational activities (mln rubles): average annual and for last five years;
• Total amount of funds engaged to the university through sponsors (mln rubles): average annual and for last five years;
• Total amount of funds engaged to the university through other funding sources (mln rubles): average annual and for last five years.

Qualitative criteria

Innovative university should have

• A fundraising system;
• A budgeting system.

Aspect 7 Development of adaptive university management system as a self-learning structure.

Qualitative criteria: Innovative university should have:

• Midrange missions, strategies and development programmes;
• Double-circuit (rector, president) system of strategic and tactical management;
• Certified system for quality management;
• Organization for innovative activity stimulation;
• Project targeted control methods based on internal and external environmental monitoring;
• System for control of university resources and intellectual assets based on internal and external environmental monitoring;
• Public control bodies (Guardian council, Supervisory council, etc);
• Permanent system for managers' advanced training.

The authors hope that suggested criteria will satisfy academic community and that they will become the basis for system approach and fruitful work in order to establish and develop Russian innovative universities.
 

Anna Kizilova