Global inter-university cooperation as a factor of the lifelong learning paradigm development

the university is carrying out an educational integration policy in the context of transition to the knowledge economy, which involves the implementation of the concept of lifelong learning. Cooperation between universities is critical for lifelong education; it is performed as part of educational and research projects and programs of the European Union, the Council of Europe, UNESCO, OECD, the European University Association, the European University Continuing Education Network (EUCEN), and other international institutions and organizations. The article aims to evaluate the involvement of Russian universities in the development of the European continuing education environment based on theoretical and comparative analysis. The author analyzed the quantitative representation of Russian universities in international organizations, which promote continuing education in Europe, and compared it with other European universities. In addition to that, the general information on inter-university educational and research projects which help to test, assess, exchange, and spread innovative technologies and strategies of continuing education is presented in the article. A comparative analysis of the information available on the websites of the largest European organizations of continuing education was conducted. Among them are the European University Association, the European University Continuing Education Network, the European Association of Institutions in Higher Education. The analysis revealed that the participation of most of the European universities in the above mentioned organizations is much higher than the participation of Russian universities. In general, Russian universities are still out of the main European professional networks for the development of continuing education. Participation in them will allow Russian universities to transfer to fundamentally new educational models tested through the implementation of international projects and programs. The presented data may be useful to study current trends in inter-university cooperation in the field of continuing education and support the integration of Russian universities into the European educational environment