The Scientific-Educational Corporation as the Model for the Development of Russian Universities: From Concept to Empirical Verification

The relevance: in the context of large-scale structural reforms and intensifying demands for educational quality in Russia’s higher education personnel, the need for objective assessment and nuanced differentiation of university development models is increasingly apparent. Significant differences in ecosystem structure, innovation potential, and the organisational dynamics of leading universities require new approaches to typology and strategies for modernisation. Traditional rankings and formal criteria prove insufficient for understanding the institutional diversity and identifying the true drivers of leadership within the university sector. The aim of this study is to propose and empirically substantiate a typology of leading Russian universities based on the concept of the scientific-educational corporation as an integrative form of the modern university. Cluster analysis is employed as the principal method, applied to a set of 52 quantitative indicators reflecting the key features of 99 major universities in the country. The scientific novelty lies in the conceptualisation of the scientific-educational corporation and multidimensional university classification. As a result, three clusters of universities are identified, differing substantially in ecosystem scales, innovation activity, and strategic and organisational characteristics. The practical significance of the study lies in the potential application of the proposed approaches and findings for enhancing strategic management, educational policy formation, and the effectiveness of the university sector as part of the national innovation system. The proposed toolkit can serve as an empirical and methodological basis for further research in university typology and higher education development.

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