experience of the Nizhny Novgorod State University

Integration of Education and Research

R.G.Strongin, G.A.Maximov

Nizhny Novgorod State University

Gagarin pr., 23,љ Nizhny Novgorod, 603950, Russia

rector@unn.ru

 

The idea of developing education on the basis of scientific research formulated as a guideline by Wilhelm Humboldt, the founder of the Berlin University, was one of the important principles in the activity of the first Russian universities founded in the period between the 18^th century and the early 20^th century. The subsequent development of science and engineering in the conditions of a planned economy, limited resources and a historical necessity of achieving success over a limited spectrum of main directions within a short period has resulted in a certain specialization and departmental dissociation of education and research in Russia. As the spectrum of major areas of science and industry expanded and complex interrelations were formed between them with growing requirements to personnel, new approaches began developing to the strengthening of cooperation between research and educational institutions. Some branches of university departments were established in branch research institutes and in the institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). The concept of purpose-oriented training of experts organized on the basis of appropriate contracts between institutions of higher education and companies was formed. However, important as they were, these new forms did not become systematic. The guarantees provided by the then existing system of "State distribution" (centralized appointment of graduates to vacant job slots) reduced to some extent the motivation of industry branches to support the development of concrete educational institutions. Since the mechanisms for organizing the implementation of research results were substantially administrative and were based on the monopolism prevalent during that period (hence, in the absence of any appreciable competition), creative cooperation with institutions of higher education did not play an essential role. The system provided the necessary quantitative parameters perfectly well. However, the stimuli for investments that would contribute to improved quality were insufficient. Some exceptions were observed only in the sectors of economy where the appraisal of results was of certain political importance. In such sectors, administrative managerial control proved to be sufficiently effective.

In modern conditions, when market relations are being formed in Russia and the country is stepping into the global market, the administrative mechanisms of management in the economy can no longer provide the required efficiency. The role of competitiveness is growing far and wide, it rapidly becomes the decisive factor for decision-making in all spheres of activity.

A new way of life is taking shape in the country, and this by itself requires that many stereotypes of the past be abandoned. Among the widely discussed new approaches, an important part is assigned to the task of integrating science, education and innovative activity as one of the key factors in the development of knowledge-based economy and society. The urgency of this problem is noted in the Message of the President of Russian Federation to the Federal assembly, directly stating the need "to further integrate education and scientific activity. The development of university science and major centers of research and education should become a high-priority task".

On the one hand, this task of integration, as already mentioned, was considered still in the times of planned economy. On the other hand, in modern conditions it acquires many new aspects and becomes an essentially new task. Except for some isolated cases, activities in science and education (let alone the work on applications) cannot be considered non-economic. In turn, to reach an appreciable scale, innovative activity requires the development of a special infrastructure. In addition to business incubators, systems for evaluating the feasibility of new offers lowering implementation risks are necessary. Banks of such offers ensuring anonymity of inquiries and search of adequate alternatives, etc., are necessary. Personnel follow-up for this activity adequate to the new realities is also required.

As it was already mentioned, the integration of science and education is of exceptional importance for providing competitiveness. It is by the quality of the new generations of researchers who come to RAS and branch research organizations that the level of future scientific achievements and the potential for their possible applications are determined. Integration not only promotes active participation of academics in research work, but also allows to develop professional education programs and to furnish state-of-the-art laboratory equipment. Thus the students are given the opportunity to participate in research on topical subjects, which transforms their newly-acquired knowledge into a tool for new purposeful learning. At the same time, it allows the students to be participants in the process of reproduction and development of large scientific/pedagogical schools, which are characteristic of the Russian science. As a result, the would-be researchers already at early stages of their training get acquainted with various aspects of organization of creative research work, including complex interactions necessary for solving major comprehensive problems.

In present conditions, to solve the task of integration of education and science means to ensure effective and stable interaction of universities with institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences, with branch research centers and also with high-technology enterprises.

A possible (and frequently discussed) approach to achieving this goal may consist in administrative association (attachment, merger) of research institutes and universities. For example, the attachment of RAS institutes to universities or establishing universities in the system of RAS is discussed. In this context, one should keep in mind that direct participation in education is not the main function of basic research institutions. As to the inclusion of universities into the structure of RAS institutes, it will require significant (and not quite justified) expenditures for creating a developed structure for educational activity in RAS, which is outside the field under immediate control of the Ministry of Education and Science. Besides, universities will be "taken to pieces" by separate research institutes of narrow specialization, since no research institute can cover all the areas of educational and scientific activity of a university. In both cases, the first stage of realization can result in destruction of the existing structure of higher education and science with inevitable and not always predictable losses.

Since, on the one hand, there is no meaningful experience of successful realization of such administrative mechanism of integration, and, on the other hand, the risks of significant losses are great in case of unsuccessful coordination of the decisions made with the specificity of organization and character of creative activity in the field of science and education, the realization of such approach should be started with several pilot projects.

At the same time, in our opinion, it is appropriate to use the experience already available of extensive and deep functional integration of activity of universities and research structures (institutes, centers, enterprises).

In the analysis of such experience, it is especially interesting to characterize the possible and sufficiently tested mechanisms of sustainable interactions that lean on the existing normative base and on Russia's traditions of cooperation between educational and research institutions. The Federal Target Program "State support for integration of higher education and fundamental science for 1997-2000" has contributed to the development of such mechanisms and traditions in many respects.

Various aspects of the second approach, i.e. the problems of functional integration of education and research will be considered below, with due consideration of developing such integration gained over many years by theљ Nizhny Novgorod State University and its partners.