The article presents a case study of the Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management (NSUEM) that describes the experience of designing a specialized project activity platform supporting the implementation of projects for external clients. The study includes an analysis and classification of university platforms, revealing the dichotomous nature of their purposes. Modeling the ecosystem of project activity participants at NSUEM and their interaction processes demonstrated that the foundation of a university platform should be based on the exchange of values among all ecosystem participants. The article also provides a description of the initial results from the pilot operation of NSUEM’s specialized project activity platform. This university case can serve as a useful reference for higher education institutions seeking to align their project activities with the implementation of external client projects.

In the context of rapid technological transformation, higher education systems are compelled to revise traditional instructional approaches in favor of methods that foster adaptive competencies, critical thinking, and innovation-oriented skills among students. Project-based learning (PBL), grounded in a practice-oriented pedagogical framework, is emerging as a priority management strategy aimed at cultivating both professional and transversal competencies, as well as critical thinking abilities. This study presents the experience of implementing project-based learning for students enrolled in management-related programs at Ufa University of Science and Technology, using a quasi-experimental design to assess its effect on academic performance. A difference-in-differences (DiD) approach was employed to compare the academic achievements of students exposed to traditional instruction versus those engaged in project-based learning. The results revealed a statistically significant improvement in the experimental group (an average grade increase of 0.58), while the control group showed negligible progress (an increase of 0.04). Regression analysis confirmed a positive interaction effect (interaction coefficient = 0.52, p = 0.003). The scientific novelty of the research lies in the development and application of an original quasi-experimental methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of project-based learning within humanities and public administration programs, based on the DiD method. For the first time at a regional university, an empirical comparison of student academic outcomes before and after the introduction of the project-based approach was conducted, with a control group taken into account. The findings enhance current understanding of the impact of projectbased learning on student performance, illuminate the managerial implications of its implementation under fragmented institutional conditions, and identify key factors contributing to increased student motivation and academic success. The analysis extends the authors’ prior theoretical and applied contributions to the management of student project activity and provides empirical support for the integration of PBL in public and municipal administration education. The results may be used in the methodological support of PBL management, in further studies of the effectiveness of innovative educational technologies in higher education, and in connecting disciplinary knowledge with its practical application in professional management contexts, especially within student-led projects.

In the contemporary context of global challenges and economic sanctions, ensuring the scientific and technological sovereignty of Russia is one of the priority tasks. Achieving this objective is unattainable without a highly qualified engineering workforce, the training of which necessitates a radical transformation of the engineering education system. The aim of this article is to investigate the problematic areas of engineering education in light of current economic challenges and labor market needs, to delineate the place and role of engineering education within the broader framework of workforce training, and to develop strategies for transforming the engineering workforce preparation system. It is proposed that the formation of these strategies be implemented through the synchronization of educational programs, the introduction of innovative teaching methods, and the enhancement of qualifications for educators, scientists, and researchers in partnership with industrial companies. The research findings are based on an analysis of scientific publications regarding engineering workforce preparation issues and a survey conducted among experts in this field. As a result of the study, key directions for improving engineering education have been identified, which include active collaboration with industry, modernization of curricula, and professional development for educators, thereby facilitating the integration of technological innovations into the educational process.

The issues of interaction between pedagogical higher education institutions and regional education authorities are insufficiently developed in modern pedagogical theory. The aim of the study is to identify the current state of interaction between pedagogical higher education institutions and regional education systems, as well as to identify problematic areas of this interaction and develop approaches to designing a model of this interaction. The research is based on data obtained from 38 regions, reflecting the positions of 47 representatives of state authorities responsible for educationmanagement and 27 employees of pedagogical higher education institutions. As a result of the study, the features of building interaction between pedagogical higher education institutions and education management authorities have been identified, as well as growth points that allow this interaction to become a factor in the development of the regional educational system. Approaches to building an effective model of interaction between a pedagogical higher education institution and regional education management authorities are also proposed, and the main directions of joint activities of a pedagogical higher education institution and education management authorities are defined in the context of multilevel and multifunctional interaction. Prospective directions for further research include the development of a system of indicators and indicators based on the proposed model for assessing the effectiveness of interaction between pedagogical higher education institutions and regional education authorities.

The COVID-19 pandemic, a special military operation conducted by the Russian Federation, and, as a result, the imposition of economic sanctions against Russia, have influenced the choice of graduates of the 11th grade of school in their further educational path. The main goal of the study is to analyze the changes in the choice of graduates of the 11th grade in favor of either secondary vocational or higher education under the influence of the events mentioned. Another task is to forecast the upcoming load on the secondary and higher levels of education, taking into account the demographic situation. The study is based on the data from statistical forms OO-1 (school), SPO-1 (secondary vocational education), VPO-1 (higher education), as well as demographic forecasts by single-year ages up to 2050. The research was conducted using the method of mathematical analysis of statistical information. The time range from 2017 to 2022 was divided into three periods: before the pandemic, the first year of the pandemic, the second year of the pandemic, and the beginning of the special military operation. The conducted research shows that significant changes in the choice of graduates of the 11th grade who enter secondary vocational and higher educational organizations immediately after completing their studies at school occurred during these specified time periods. Thus, the beginning of the pandemic increased their interest in the secondary vocational education system and decreased it in favor of higher education. In the second year of the pandemic, on the contrary, interest in entering universities grew, and the beginning of the special military operation led to an increase in interest in transitioning to both the secondary vocational education system and the higher education system, but only for full-time education, with a decrease in choosing part-time and distance learning forms. The research results allow for forecasting the possible load (flows of graduates of the 11th grade) on the secondary vocational and higher education systems in the long term, taking into account changes in the population size at the age of 18 (the main age of youth completing the 11th grade of school).

Promoting the development of the region’s human capital is an inevitable requirement of the digital transformation of higher education, and the implementation of an ecosystem approach in university management becomes a prerequisite for creating mutually beneficial conditions for continuous education. The aim of the article is to analyze the current state of university IT infrastructure in the context of the prospects for creating digital ecosystems that promote the development of continuous education services. The article is of an applied nature. The author applies a combined methodology for analyzing university IT infrastructure, based on the information used: data from the Russian Ministry of Education and Science monitoring from 2018 to 2022, monitoring by MIPT on the effectiveness of university activities, and educational platform content. The study proposes and measures the index of the digital component of academic knowledge, showing its positive dynamics overall for the country amid multidirectional changes in regions. The author draws attention to the lagging indicators of university development monitoring in terms of reflecting IT infrastructure development indicators. The expansion of the digital educational space, the segment of online resources of regional universities on federal platforms, the trend towards consumerization, and the creation of a unified digital environment, along with grant support, make it possible to further develop a regional-level unified integration platform for continuous education. Alongside these positive conditions for digital transformation, the analysis revealed digital infrastructure inequality in regional universities, low population engagement in continuous education, and the most active market positions of non-state educational platforms. The research novelty lies in the comparative analytical assessment of university IT infrastructure from the perspective of supporting continuous education based on an ecosystem approach. The research results can be useful to institutional structures and the academic community for scientifically substantiating the creation and implementation of digital continuous education services.

In the international practice of higher education, a university has traditionally been considered as a center for education and science. A modern urban university, however, breaks through the boundaries of educational and scientific projects and pioneers the development of the learning, social, cultural, and intellectual environment of the city and its dwellers. In the view of the research-based and community-oriented mission of the university, there is a need to reinvent and further develop the communication strategies between the university and the urban residents. As one of the steps in this direction, the authors suggest communicating with the citizens through the promotion of university-developed scientific knowledge and research results among wider public. This will solve the challenges of making people interested in the fundamental and applied sciences, developing the human capital for the benefit of the regions, increasing the level of scientific literacy among citizens, creating conditions for the intellectual development of the youth, involving young people and representatives of other age groups in the research activities, and enhancing the prestige and social attractiveness of science. Pursuing these tasks, in this paper the authors study the practices and the formats of science promotion undertaken by the universities and suggest a model of a university-based center for public science.

The authors’ purpose is to identify possible problematic grounds for students’ involvement in volunteer activities and to propose solutions for university management that contribute to overcoming non-participation among students. The article is based on theoretical ideas about the role of volunteering for young people, on theories describing the phenomenon of non-volunteering and its possible causes, as well as on the concepts of volunteering management in higher education. The empirical base of the research is 740 students’ poll data (all levels and years of study being included the sampling) and 12 focus group interviews taken in 2022. The results reflect the students’ volunteer activity dynamics during their studies at the university and show that the key factor determining the orientation to volunteer participation in the future is the self-identification of a student as a volunteer. We have identified three reasons for strategies to justify volunteer non-participation: utilitarian attitude to life; disappointment with the volunteer work organization that does not meet young people’s expectations; infantilism as a philosophy of being inactive. It is concluded that by increasing students’ awareness of opportunities to participate in volunteer activities and specific organizations implementing volunteer projects, the university can contribute to the growth of volunteerism among young people in the future. Using the example of educational course, the authors show how possible barriers can be overcome by teaching students the basics of volunteerism. The results of the study and the described educational experience will be interesting to researchers and can also be useful for all Russian universities in connection with the current tasks of youth policy.

This paper presents a case of project-based learning organizational model implementation in the Engineering School of Information Technologies, Telecommunications and Control Systems (IRIT-RTF) of Ural Federal University for undergraduate educational programs. The authors analyze three stages of organizational model transformation: initiating, piloting, and scaling. Within each stage, there are discussed technologies of collecting applications for students’ projects based on a role model of competences; organizational and technical support of students’ project work in accordance with the activity classifi cation of projects; the number of supervisors and their level of training required to accompany the process. The presented case can provide the reader with practical recommendations for implementing project-based learning at any university.

The problem under consideration is connected with the active modernization of the research and development sector in Russia, which takes place under existing restrictions. On the one hand, there is a request for scientific and technological sovereignty, increasing the scholars’ responsibility for the social and economic development of the country. On the other hand, the impact of various tools to support the scientists’ activity, these tools affecting their position, reputation and career, is being re-assessed. The article presents data from a 2022 mass sociological survey of grantees (N=1700) from more than 60 Russian regions and more than 80 organizations subordinate to the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia. The survey materials showed the significant role of funds’ grant support for the preservation and development of the scholars’ scientific potential, for attracting new researchers, and for creating a competitive knowledge generation sector. The article analyzes the institutional changes in the activities of Russian scientific foundations as perceived by grantees – scientific and pedagogical workers, administrative and managerial staff. There are identified the most acute problems that make it difficult for Russian researchers to receive grants and to fulfill corresponding requirements in today’s conditions. For the first time a mass survey of grantees of Russian scientific foundations was conducted, which allowed identifying the most significant functions of grants: economic function; selective function affecting competition among researchers; symbolic function affecting the reputation of scientists, scientific schools, research teams; positive impact on the development of research competencies, careers of scientists, the scientific potential of the higher school, etc. The empirical base of the article is represented by materials collected within a questionnaire survey. The methods of quantitative analysis and content analysis of the open questions were used to process the research materials. Quantitative data processing was carried out using the SPSS program; materials of open questions were analyzed using methods of generalization and systematization. As a result, there were distinguished the positive effects of grant support over scientists’ research activities, as well as the grantees’ problems to be concerned. The risks of research projects non-completion in connection with the sanctions restrictions imposed in 2022 are analyzed. The results of the study can be taken into account when developing approaches to the formation of a policy for financing scientific activities in Russia, when working out possible directions for further scientists’ support, and when searching for new mechanisms to support young researchers.