University as integrator in solving the region’s current challenges – a key idea of federal innovation platforms

Abstract

The article presents results of analysis of innovative educational projects of universities, implemented in the status of federal innovation platforms. For analysis, a popular topic related to the implementation of the university function of integrator of stakeholders (educational, public, cultural and educational organizations, production enterprises, government and management bodies, business) is selected in solving the region’s current socio-economic problems. The experience of participation of federal innovation platforms on the basis of universities in solving such tasks as sustainable development of youth educational tourism, formation of ecological culture of population, promotion of sociocultural resources of urban and rural territories is presented, development of tourist areas, vocational training for schoolchildren taking into account the region’s personnel needs, forecasting and formation of skills in tourism specialists, ensuring continuous professional growth of pedagogical workers. The university’s popular way of implementing integration function is to create an infrastructure element on its basis that unites stakeholders in solving a specific socio-economic problem. As such infrastructure in innovative projects of universities is represented by the inter-university campus of sustainable development of youth educational tourism; resource center of formation of ecological culture of population; scientific and practical center of socio-cultural innovations; Training and training center with digital platform for the development of tourist areas of regions and development of project competences in tourism; infrastructure of a specialized summer children’s health camp on the basis of technical university; business incubator and business-Acceleration in tourism; regional center of targeted professional development support for pedagogical workers. The ways of creating an infrastructure element based on the university, uniting stakeholders in solving the socio-economic problem of the region: «expansion of the scope of activities of the existing infrastructure element of the university to regional or interregional», «Completion of tasks, which are part of the infrastructure of the university, taking into account regional requirements», «creation of a new infrastructure element at the university to solve an urgent socio-economic problem», «expansion of the network of partners of the university in solving the current regional problem through digitalization». The subject of research – content of innovation activity of universities with the status of federal innovation platform. Research methods – analysis, generalization, systematization of reports of federal innovation platforms on the basis of universities. The aim of the study is to summarize the experience of innovation activity of universities in the status of federal innovation platforms, aimed at uniting the entities interested in solving current socio-economic problems of the region.