Indicators of the university'S contribution to the innovative development of the region

This research article is devoted to the development of methodology for evaluating efficacy of regional economic systems and higher education sphere. The aim of the research is to justify the indicators of evaluating influence and input of universities into the regional innovation development. Analysis of the instruments measuring innovation development level the most wide - spread of which is the index of regional innovation development leads to the conclusion that with all their analytical importance we need to formulate special indicators for evaluating efficacy and quality of innovation development, monitoring and evaluation of investment perspectives, aims and results of state innovation policy. We suggest evaluation of university input into innovation development based on the methodology of Data envelopment analysis, which allows for comparing complex economic systems using analysis of Inputs and Outputs and indiscreet parameters of all these systems' functioning. Regional innovation system and university as an actor in this system represent a complex organized ecosystem which transforms variable parameters of input and factors of innovation development into obtained variable parameters of Output - results of innovation activities. Activities of studied complex object with many inputs and outputs are analyzed in functioning environment and compared with other actors. Based on DEA it is possible to build a matrix spreading data according to three categories: resources, results and rigid parameters using the Malkmist Index and obtain conclusions on regional innovation system efficacy and evaluate university input into regional innovation development using the thesis of higher level of activity of those regions that obtains more results with relatively similar number of resources. Input of universities into innovation development of the region to which they belong is determined by a set of factors the most important of which are: level of regional innovation development; level of regional innovation potential; level of university intellectual potential for regional development. To evaluate publicly available Rosstat indicators describing university activities and innovation development of Russian regions using statistic evaluation of technological development of economics, innovations, technologies and science the growth of which can be interpreted as an indication of positive level of innovation development of the region. Above mentioned positions were classified according to input and output indicators, system efficacy criteria were defined. Development of such methods for evaluating efficacy of reginal innovation system and input (involvement) of universities into regional development allows for studying different aspects of regional university activities creating instruments for evaluating their potential in the field of supporting regional innovation development. It seems reasonable to use above mentioned approach for analyzing the role and potential of social institutions of regional development and innovation regional systems, activation of innovation activities of its subjects, as well as for evaluating and formulating mechanisms of upgrading efficacy of universities and ranking regions. This is important for strategic planning of innovation regional strategies and allows for more effective implementation of innovation policy in the regions.