What is a flagship university? Key universities in Russia The first flagship universities.

In 2013, the government decided to create a new type of institutes and universities, which were to be called flagship universities.

A flagship higher education institution is a university, which was created through the merger of several regional educational institutions.

There are special requirements for such a university:

• The first requirement concerns the number of people studying. According to the standards, the institution must have at least ten thousand students.
• The second requirement is the establishment’s income. It must be at least two billion rubles.

According to the program, flagship higher education institutions become leading educational institutions in their regions and regional divisions.

List of privileges provided to supporting higher education institutions by the state:

1. The number of budget places is increasing. According to the program, an increase in budget places is provided for in such areas as:

• Metallurgy.
• Chemistry.
• Mechanical engineering.
• Pedagogy.
• Journalism.
• Publishing.
• Story.
• Conflictology.
• Psychology.
• Linguistics.
• International relationships.
• Political science.
• Religious Studies.
• Customs business.
• Theology.
• Physical Culture.
• Philology.
• Jurisprudence, etc.

All flagship universities in Russia with budget places. But it is worth remembering that the increase in budget places is provided exclusively for master’s and postgraduate studies.

2. Obtaining government subsidies for scientific projects within the university and the region.

3. Funding from the state to improve the technical support of the institution.

The application was submitted by 80 higher education institutions. Each petition was considered by a special commission.

In 2016, the Ministry of Education and Science selected eleven such universities.

In 2017, the number of flagship universities increased by another 22 universities, which were divided into two groups:

1. The first group consists of educational institutions that receive funding from the country's state budget.
2. The second group includes educational institutions financed by regional budgets.

Table: list of flagship higher educational institutions of the Russian Federation in 2016

List of higher educational institutions included in the list of flagship universities in 2017:

1. First group:

• "VlSU".
• "MAGU".
• "NSTU".
• "Siberian State Medical University"
• "TulGu".
• "CSU".
• "YarSU".

2. Second group:

• "AltGu".
• "BSTU".
• "KamlSU".
• "KemGu".
• "MSTU".
• "MArGu."
• "NovGu".
• "PetrGu".
• "PsokvGu".
• "SSTU".
• "SSU".
• "SyktGu".
• "TSU".
• "YES".

Open Day

Each flagship higher education institution annually hosts an open day.

Open day is called applicant's day.

Why is it needed:

1. Consultation regarding admission.
2. Familiarization with faculties.
3. The opportunity will determine the choice of future specialty.

Important! Open days take place in late spring. You can find out the exact date of the applicant’s day on the official website of the higher educational institution.

Scholarships

In Russia, there are more than 15 types of scholarship payments to students who entered to study on a budget.

Scholarships:

1. Academic. There are simple and increased academic scholarship payments.

The amount of scholarships depends on its type and status:

• The minimum scholarship payment is 1340 RUB.
• The increased scholarship ranges from 4 to 15 thousand RUB.
• A full-time resident receives a monthly stipend in the amount of 6,700 RUB.
• The postgraduate stipend is RUB 6,300.

2. Social scholarship – 2,000 RUB. This is the minimum amount of the scholarship payment. The exact amount is assigned by the academic department based on the reasons for applying for a social scholarship.

3. Presidential. Students can receive presidential scholarships in the amount of 2,200 and 4,500 RUB for merit in their studies and educational process.

Useful video

Related Posts

The Ministry of Education and Science has selected 22 regional universities that will receive flagship status and funding for the implementation of the development program. The ministry selected the first 11 flagship universities last year

Photo: Mikhail Japaridze / TASS

The expert council under the Ministry of Education and Science selected 22 winning universities of the second stage of the competition to create flagship universities, Kommersant reports.

As the publication clarifies, the selected universities are divided into two categories according to the level of funding. The first group included eight educational institutions that will receive co-financing of the development program at both the federal and regional levels. These are the Stoletov Vladimir State University (VlGU), Murmansk Arctic State University (MAGU), Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University named after Alekseev, Novosibirsk State Technical University (NSTU), Siberian State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of Russia (SibSMU), Tula State University (TulSU), Cherepovets State University (CSU) and Yaroslavl State University named after Demidov (YarSU).

The second group includes 14 universities: Altai State University (AltSU), Belgorod State Technological University named after Shukhov (BSTU), Kalmyk State University named after Gorodovikov (KalmSU), Kemerovo State University (KemSU), Magnitogorsk State Technical University named after Nosov, Mari State University ( MarSU), Novgorod State University named after Yaroslav the Wise (NovSU), Petrozavodsk State University (PetrSU), Pskov State University (PskovSU), Saratov State Technical University named after Gagarin (SSTU), Sochi State University (SSU), Syktyvkar State University named after Sorokin, Tolyatti State University (TSU) and Ulyanovsk State University (UlSU). They will receive audit and expert support from the federal center, and subsidies from regional budgets.

The winners were selected after reviewing 80 applications. In the next three months, they will have to submit a five-year development program to the Ministry of Education and Science, for the implementation of which each university will be allocated an additional subsidy annually for three years. In 2016, its size reached 200 million rubles. The publication notes that it is not yet known how universities will be financed this year. This will be determined by the program board for each university individually.

“The council members were faced with the task of selecting the best projects that could bring significant development to their region. We examined each application individually, taking into account in detail the development program of each university, as well as the region’s position on its relevance and further support,” Olga Vasilyeva, head of the Ministry of Education and Science, told the newspaper.

In 2016, 11 universities received flagship status. These included Kostroma State Technological University (KSTU), Tyumen State Oil and Gas University (Tyumen State Oil and Gas University), Ufa State Petroleum Technical University (USPTU), Siberian State Aerospace University named after Academician Reshetnev (SibSAU), Don State Technical University (DSTU), Volgograd State Technical University (VolgSTU), Voronezh State Technical University (VSTU), Omsk State Technical University (OmSTU), Samara State Technical University (SamSTU), Vyatka State University (VyatSU) and Orel Turgenev State University (OSU).

According to the terms of the program, universities in Moscow and St. Petersburg, universities that are participants in the state program for increasing international competitiveness “5-100”, educational institutions from the federal category, as well as universities that are located in municipalities where there are already flagship universities cannot apply for flagship status. . Another condition for participation in the program, as Kommersant notes, is reorganization, that is, two or more regional universities must merge into one.

At the end of February, the government announced state support for leading Russian universities in 2017. Instead of the planned 14.5 billion rubles. They decided to allocate 10.3 billion rubles. 21 Russian universities will receive subsidies (three groups of leading universities, seven universities each, have been allocated).

What is it and who will go there?

Many parents and their children graduating from school, when choosing a university, consider not only institutions located in their locality, but also in other cities. As a rule, these are large universities in Moscow, St. Petersburg and regional centers. Which of these universities are the most promising? Many people believe that Russia’s flagship universities should be chosen.

What is this program?

For several years now, the education system in our country has been in the process of serious reform. A significant place in this direction is occupied by a number of comprehensive measures to reorganize the activities of higher educational institutions. At the same time, the Ministry of Education and Science does its best to promote the creation of regional flagship universities, which are an association of educational organizations in order to form common training programs. According to representatives of the Ministry, this process is taking place voluntarily and is already bearing fruit.

Officials cite the reason for the merger of universities (sometimes of completely different profiles) as a decrease in the number of eleventh-graders, as well as the need to increase the authority of Russian higher education abroad. It is planned to form about 100-150 largest universities, where the best of modern innovations in the field of student education and the development of science will be concentrated.

What is a flagship university? According to the leadership of the Ministry of Education and Science, this is a regional state university, organized on the basis of the most successful organization through the merger with it of other educational institutions located in this region of the country. It is expected that such large institutions will become educational centers in which teaching, innovation, research and social activities will develop. Students will have the opportunity to study well, researchers will have the opportunity to work successfully, and partners and government agencies will have the opportunity to solve production and other problems.

To participate in the project of forming flagship educational institutions, universities of federal subordination are required to draw up an application in which the following points should be indicated:

• note your decision to reorganize the educational institution;
• outline the directions of work until 2020 and ways to achieve the goals;
• formulate a conceptual plan according to which interaction with a team of researchers and teachers will develop.

However, not all universities received the right to participate in the project. For example, Lomonosov Moscow State University and St. Petersburg State University cannot become flagship universities, and other large educational institutions that had already been consolidated before the new process of merging universities started were also left out.

There are currently 11 participants working within the program.

These are state technical universities: Ufa, Samara, Omsk, Kostroma, Donskoy, Voronezh, Volgograd.

And also State Universities: Tyumen, Siberian, Oryol, Vyatka.

According to experts, these largest universities will become the basis for the powerful development of the higher education system in the regions. They will also prevent the outflow of successful applicants to prestigious universities in St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Novosibirsk.

Also, the development of the regions will be facilitated by the fact that universities will be provided with an additional budget - 200 million annually during the project, that is, from one to three years. So far, the decision on such amounts of funding has been made regarding Vyatka State University, Kostroma Technological University and Orel Turgenev University.

At the end of the additional funding period, flagship universities will report on achieving their goals and switch to their own budget.

What goals must be achieved?

• For every hundred students, at least eight teachers with an academic degree are required.
• At least 100 thousand students must study at the flagship university.
• The annual income should be approximately two billion rubles.
• Students must be trained in at least 20 specialties.
• All scientific projects should receive funding of about 150,000 rubles.

Many experts actively support the idea of ​​​​forming flagship universities, but there are also opponents. For example, Levchenko, head of the administration of the Irkutsk region. In his opinion, such a reorganization should be available to any successful university.

Eleventh-graders and parents of today's graduates should decide for themselves which university to choose, taking into account all the prospects offered by current and planned reforms and reorganizations.

At the end of January, the expert council of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science approved 11 applications, from among those submitted by universities, for participation in the program for creating a network of flagship universities in Russia. According to the selection conditions, any higher educational institution of federal subordination could submit documents that had developed a development program based on a joint decision with other universities on its reorganization through affiliation (clause 3.2, subclause 7 of section 4 of the Regulations on the procedure for conducting competitive selection of educational organizations of higher education for financial support for development programs of federal state educational organizations of higher education at the expense of the federal budget; hereinafter referred to as the Regulations on the competition).

The program developers expect that the unification of the scientific bases of regional universities, their human and financial resources will make it possible to create a number of strong regional universities that could not only attract gifted students, but also train a sufficient number of specialists in the areas where the main employers operate. Moreover, for these purposes, each newly formed university will be provided with annual subsidies in the amount of up to 200 million rubles. for a period of one to three years. However, universities will also have to co-finance development projects in the amount of at least 20% of the volume of subsidies provided by the state (subclause 4, clause 5.3, clause 16.4 of the Competition Regulations). Let us recall that measures to consolidate universities were planned by the Federal Target Program for Educational Development for 2016-2020 (). The decision to hold the competition was made by the Minister of Education and Science of Russia Dmitry Livanov in mid-August last year ().

As a result of the competition, the creation of flagship universities was recommended on the basis of the following universities: Volgograd State Technical University, Voronezh State Technical University, Vyatka State University, Don State Technical University, Kostroma State Technological University, Omsk State Technical University, Oryol State University named after I.S. Turgenev, Samara State Technical University, Siberian State Aerospace University named after Academician M. F. Reshetnev, Tyumen State Oil and Gas University, Ufa State Petroleum Technical University.

However, not all winners will receive equal funding. The competition commission decided to divide them into two groups depending on the conditions offered by universities for the implementation of development programs. Thus, educational institutions classified in the first group will receive 150 million rubles in 2016. Those assigned to the second group – 100 million rubles each. The top three that can qualify for increased funding are Vyatka State University, Kostroma State Technological University and Oryol State University named after I. S. Turgenev (minutes of the meeting of the competition commission dated February 1, 2016 No. DL-5/05pr).

Reasons for the reform

When implementing the program, the Russian Ministry of Education and Science puts financial benefits for educational institutions at the forefront. It is expected that this reform will allow, in the current difficult economic conditions, not only not to reduce funding for the higher education system, but also to increase its volume by reducing ineffective spending, and it is specifically emphasized that teaching and scientific personnel will not suffer - they will save on administrative staff . The funds released as a result of the merger of universities will be used for teachers’ salaries, and additional funds allocated by the state will be used to implement university development programs.

Also, the Russian Ministry of Education and Science announces the right of the competition winners to implement educational programs at a new level. Thus, flagship universities will have the opportunity to participate in network councils for defending dissertations, with priority allocation of quotas for postgraduate and master’s studies at the expense of federal, regional and local budgets. In addition, newly established universities will have an advantage in selecting foreign students within the government quota for studying.

In general, independent experts agree with the arguments of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science. The head of the research group of the National University Ranking project identifies several of the most significant ones among the main motives for creating flagship universities. Thus, regional universities will be given a higher status, which means their position in the eyes of the population will increase. The factor of regional patriotism will work, and at the same time interregional competition will intensify. As a result, flagship universities will be able to play the role of a kind of anchor and social elevator for young people, and this will help minimize the migration of gifted young people from the regions, including abroad, the expert emphasizes. In addition, the analyst adds, granting the status of a flagship university does not in itself mean that the university will not receive an even higher status in the future. For example, it can receive the status of a leading classical university, which is enjoyed by Lomonosov Moscow State University and St. Petersburg State University - and this is another incentive for constant development and competition. Also, the expert adds, the unification of universities will make it possible to move from the current sectoral structure of universities to a normal academic system based on universities as diversified corporations of knowledge, meaning, science, technology, legislators of high living standards, creators of the future. Multidisciplinary universities will appear in large cities, around which public life will be built - as it should be, the expert concludes.

Universities that have received federal status have acquired the right to state support within the framework of development programs approved by the government (clause 2 of the Concept for the creation and state support for the development of federal universities, appendix to the minutes of the meeting of the interdepartmental working group on the priority national project “Education” under the Council under the President of the Russian Federation on the implementation of priority national projects and demographic policy dated September 29, 2009 No. AF-33/03pr). At the same time, these universities have not lost their scientific independence. In particular, they develop and approve their own educational standards, however, the rectors of these educational institutions are appointed by the government (Federal Law of December 29, 2012 No. 273-FZ “On Education in the Russian Federation”). It should be noted that Dmitry Livanov has repeatedly noted that the creation of flagship universities is aimed at the economic and social development of regions.

OPINION

Alexey Chaplygin, head of the research group of the National University Ranking project:

“The creation of flagship universities was another attempt by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science to reformat the sphere of higher education and science in connection with the development strategies of the regions and the country as a whole. By launching the program of flagship universities, the ministry tried to bring the model of organizing higher education in our country closer to the models adopted in developed countries. Transition from sectoral management of universities to the management of universities will save resources, including managerial ones. Now, the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, as the founder of hundreds of universities, has to deal with the operational management of a million-strong contingent of youth and a hundred thousand contingent of teaching and research workers, to the detriment of the strategic management of the entire system. universities will be managed by regional authorities, and this will in the future reduce their costs and allow them to focus on first-tier universities."

What are the terms of cooperation?

One of the main conditions for the merger of universities was its voluntariness, which is confirmed by the decisions of the academic councils of the joining universities. At the same time, in accordance with the terms of the competition, not all universities were able to participate in the competition. An exception was provided for 10 federal universities, universities participating in the "5-100" project - ensuring that by 2020 at least five Russian universities enter the top hundred of the world's leading universities according to the world rankings, as well as universities located in Moscow and St. St. Petersburg (clauses 3.3, 3.5 of the Competition Regulations).

In addition to the main goal of consolidating educational institutions, the Russian Ministry of Education and Science has provided specific targets that flagship universities will have to achieve by the end of 2020. These include, in particular:

• increasing the total number of students to at least 10 thousand students in each university;
• growth of university income to 2 billion rubles. and more;
• implementation of educational programs in at least 20 enlarged groups of areas of training and specialties;
• increasing the volume of research and development work per one scientific and pedagogical worker to at least 150 thousand rubles;
• the number of publications of the organization indexed in the information and analytical system of scientific citation: Web of Science (per 100 scientific and pedagogical workers) - should not be less than 15, Scopus (per 100 scientific and pedagogical workers) - no less than 20, etc. (Clause 5.4 of the Competition Regulations).

It should be noted that the performance of a number of competition winners already practically corresponds to the target, or even exceeds it. Thus, the total number of students of the Don State Technical University (hereinafter referred to as DSTU), studying full-time and at the expense of the budget in 2014, amounted to more than 11 thousand people. And the DSTU budget in 2015 already exceeded 2.5 billion rubles. At the same time, not all universities can boast of such indicators and government assistance will come in handy for them. The Russian Ministry of Education and Science plans to allocate 1.5 billion rubles for financial support for development programs of flagship universities. annually for the next three years ().

Almost all experts call the focus on the interests of the regions the main advantage of the program for creating a network of flagship universities. Another significant positive factor in the formation of a network of powerful universities, Alexey Chaplygin calls their possible contribution to the intellectual support of regional management, the performance of flagship universities in the role of think thank [think tanks]. – Ed.]. The expert also believes that strong and independent universities will contribute to the expansion of academic autonomy of universities and will lead to at least a partial restoration of normal academic life - with intellectual freedoms, the desire for creativity, etc.

In addition, Alexey Chaplygin calls an interesting aspect of the program its openness to industry and private universities, which can also take part in the competition. The analyst notes that a number of industry-specific transport and agricultural universities have become interested in the opportunity to join a large academic structure, but universities subordinate to the Russian Ministry of Health and Social Development, according to his data, are in no hurry to join the program.

OPINION

Igor Kovalev, rector of the Siberian State Aerospace University named after Academician M. F. Reshetnev:

“The creation of a flagship engineering and technical university will allow not only the Krasnoyarsk Territory, but also other regions, where similar scientific and educational institutions will also be formed, to meet new trends in the economy and work for the future. It is with an emphasis on the future that training will be organized at the newly formed university personnel and the development of scientific research, carrying out development work related to specific enterprises, participation in programs at the regional and federal levels, but always taking into account the needs of the region.

According to the draft university development program until 2020, we plan to significantly expand the profile of areas and specialties of research and graduate training. Meanwhile, we are faced with the primary task of identifying interdisciplinary directions in which we can develop.

The flagship university that we have to create is a university that will be focused not only on the large industrial enterprises that exist in the region, but also on existing small innovative enterprises. And this means that we need to build certain forms of cooperation with small businesses, and work on orders from small enterprises."

Despite the obvious advantages of the program, arguments are also given against its implementation. Thus, the governor of the Irkutsk region Sergey Levchenko called the competition of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation for the creation of a network of flagship universities a harmful proposal, which it is advisable to avoid. The governor considers plans to create a full-fledged university within two months unrealistic. Alexey Chaplygin, commenting on the governor’s words, admits that the program may lose support in a number of regions due to distrust in government initiatives. And equally, the expert believes, the negative background of the reform will be distrust of university administrations within the universities themselves. The program is perceived in many ways as a smokescreen for the forced merger of universities, the analyst concludes. Thus, he believes, it would be entirely possible to leave the possibility of obtaining flagship status to strong universities, which in the future could organically absorb other universities. But the condition on the merger of universities excludes this possibility.

The results of a study conducted by the Interfax Group also indicate that the idea of ​​merging universities is not very popular in society. Moreover, survey participants attribute their worries not to the idea itself as such, but to errors in its implementation. According to the survey results, only 16% of respondents are categorically against changes, and 19% of respondents completely accept the reform. At the same time, 65% of survey participants fear that the reform will stall due to administrative and financial problems.

There are also high risks of financial turmoil in 2016, given the already established federal budget and university budgets. Thus, Alexey Chaplygin notes the high risk of loss or untimely government funding for university property management. The analyst notes a high risk that not only those students who study on a paid basis, but also “state employees” will have to pay for the use of social facilities and laboratories, for access to optional educational programs, etc.

What needs to be done for the project to take place?

It is obvious that in addition to state will and administrative levers, which are of little use in the academic environment, it is necessary to use other mechanisms and technologies of evolutionary transformation. Experts suggest not to force the reform and to approach the issue of merging universities more carefully. Thus, Alexey Chaplygin recommends taking into account the unsuccessful experience of reforming universities, citing as an example the attempt to merge Tambov State University. G. R. Derzhavin and Tambov State Technical University. Then, according to the expert, the rejection of the idea of ​​merging universities, both among the university community and among the public, was caused by the excessive administrative pressure of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science on interested parties and its ignorance of their opinions. Moreover, the analyst notes, the logic of such a merger was obvious, but the emphasis on administrative levers did not justify itself, and now it is very difficult to persuade these particular universities to participate in the program.

Perhaps any reform in such a delicate area as education evokes a rather strong emotional response among representatives of the academic community. After all, indeed, we are not talking about some mechanically formed institutions - administrative units. Any somewhat serious university is also a complex organism with an established scientific and teaching staff, scientific school and traditions. It is obvious that it is impossible to approach the reform of educational institutions from a mechanistic position. On the other hand, as Alexey Chaplygin notes, achieving a high level of efficiency in the management of universities, a national network of higher education organizations, research and technological development is a tempting prospect.

One cannot fail to recognize the obvious benefits of merging small, and in some ways, underpowered universities within diversified universities, especially those receiving government support and orders from the state and business. But one cannot idealize and contrast the financial capabilities of a university with the quality of education and the level of science in relatively small educational institutions. Therefore, every decision to merge universities must be balanced and motivated, and most importantly, internally accepted by the teams of the merging educational institutions.

The Russian education system today is undergoing serious reform. And the second stage of reforms carried out by the Ministry of Education and Science was the reorganization of the existing education system in higher educational institutions into regional flagship universities, which are a voluntary multidisciplinary association of educational institutions with the aim of creating a common training program.

The Russian education system today is undergoing serious reform. And the second stage of reforms carried out by the Ministry of Education and Science was the reorganization of the existing education system in higher educational institutions in regional flagship universities, which are a voluntary multidisciplinary association of educational institutions with the aim of creating a common training program.

It is expected that this innovation will reduce the number of universities by 25% (note that, according to representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science, this is a forced measure that arose due to a reduction in the number of 11th grade graduates), and will also significantly increase the competitiveness of Russian universities at the global level. As part of this reform, the relevant ministry plans to create 100-150 main higher educational institutions of the Russian Federation, on the basis of which all the latest innovations in the field of education will be concentrated.

Activities to create flagship universities will cover:

• Educational institutions subordinate to the Ministries of Culture, Health and other departments.
• Universities under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and Science.
• All higher education institutions.

So, what is a flagship university? This is an educational organization of regional importance, created on the basis of the most promising university by joining it with one or more educational institutions located in the same region. It is expected that flagship universities will become a kind of center of gravity, which will perform the functions of an educational, educational, research, social and innovation center. Here, students will receive a quality education, employees will work, and partner organizations and government agencies will solve production and other problems.

How it all began

The idea of ​​reform has been brewing for a long time. At one time, Livanov and Volkov wrote about it in their articles (these innovations were recommended to small, narrowly specialized universities, which were clearly losing in the competition with larger universities).

However, reality made its own adjustments. Many experts have come to the same conclusion that modern Russian higher education system does not need a huge number of universities producing mediocre specialists. Today there is a need to create several dozen strong universities operating in close connection with the country's largest enterprises, which will not only improve the quality of training of young specialists, but also bring the Russian higher education system into a competitive environment.

To participate in the program for the creation of flagship universities, associations of federal subordination wishing to join the program were asked to send applications in which they had to:

• voice a decision on the reorganization of the created association,
• formulate development and activity paths for the next 5 years (2016-2020),
• provide a concept for staffing development.

It is noteworthy that not all universities were allowed to take part in the competition. In particular, those associations of universities that were created long before the start of the project cannot take part in the competition for the provision of subsidies. Moscow and St. Petersburg universities also turned out to be no place.

Currently eligible to participate in the program creation of flagship universities received 11 applicants. These included:

• State technical universities - Volgograd, Voronezh, Donskoy, Kostroma, Omsk, Samara, Ufa.
• State universities - Vyatka, Oryol, Siberian, Tyumen.

Experts are confident that these strongest universities will be an ideal basis for creating a powerful educational base at the regional level, which will not only ensure the training of highly qualified specialists and prevent the outflow of promising students to leading universities in such large cities as Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk, but will also contribute to the development the entire region as a whole.

Each of these structures claims to receive a basic annual payment of 200 million rubles (over the entire program from 1 to 3 years). At the same time, universities must allocate 20% of the amount of the provided state subsidy to the development of their own project.

It is already known that funding is distributed in unequal shares. The leaders in this "race" are:

• Kostroma State Technological University;
• Oryol State University named after. I. S. Turgeneva;
• Vyatka State University.

It is these universities that will receive the main subsidies - 200 million rubles per year. This is evidenced by protocol No. DL-5/05pr dated 02/01/2016. The remaining project applicants will receive subsidies in the amount of 100 and 150 million rubles. This decision was made by the commission based on the information provided university development programs and conditions for their implementation.

Achievements of goals

After the time allocated by the funding program has expired, each flagship university is obliged to switch to independent support. At the same time, quotas for foreign students and budget places will be significantly increased. Such increases will occur at the expense of those institutions that are not designated as flagship universities.

Each newly founded university must fulfill the following provisions of the program:

• The teaching staff must include at least 8 teachers with academic degrees for every 100 students.
• The total number of students must be more than 100 thousand people.
• The association's income should be about 2 billion rubles per year.
• The university must provide high-quality training for specialists in at least 20 different professions.
• Funding for each scientific work should be about 150 thousand rubles.

Opponents of the program

Despite the obvious support of the reform being carried out by the Ministry of Education and Science from the overwhelming majority of experts, programs for creating flagship universities There are also ardent opponents. These include the governor of the Irkutsk region (Levchenko). He believes that such changes will entail irreversible consequences and harm for both students and teaching staff. In his opinion, the independence of higher educational institutions is valuable in itself, and therefore should remain unchanged. But participation in the subsidy program should be allowed to each university, despite its lack of desire to merge with other educational institutions.

Sadovnichy (Rector of Moscow State University) is also cautious on the issue of unification. He believes that even small, narrowly focused universities have a right to exist and cites Harvard University as an example.

In turn, the rector of the Higher School of Economics (Kuzminov) believes that even if each region creates its own flagship university, their number will not exceed 100 units throughout the country. But for such a huge country as Russia, this is negligible.