Denationalization of the social sphere and the problems of implementing the concept of entrepreneurial university in Russia

Introduction: the system of higher education is undergoing a fundamental transformation aimed at the introduction of the Entrepreneurial University concept - University 3.0. This process involves changes in the basic approaches to both the internal administration of higher education institutions (HEIs) and their external environment (relations with the state, regional authorities, business community, and international partners). The Entrepreneurial University concept has been developed in the course of a large-scale reform oriented towards denationalization of the social sphere. Purpose: to establish the need for denationalization in higher education and identify the main tools for achieving its goals. Methods: the authors conduct a comparative analysis of economic and legal approaches to denationalization. They apply a system approach to identify the main parties involved in social reforms and determine the effect of political and legal decisions. Results: the authors formulate the requirements to the process of denationalization of universities and prove the inexpediency of changing the form of ownership of public universities. Conclusions: Russian academic community in general does not recognize or support the Entrepreneurial University concept, already introduced into some Russian universities, as many of the community's members feel reluctant to become more entrepreneurial. Nevertheless, innovation activities can enhance the competitiveness of Russian universities and help them to overcome their financial, human resources and other constraints. The social university concept is to be implemented as a part of corporate social responsibility to minimize the risk of abandoning the key mission of educational institutions.