The role of universities in the formation of scientific and technological potential and in development of russian federation regions

Some results of the effectiveness analysis of higher education from the positions of regions and the assessment of the influence of Russian universities on regional development are represented in the paper. The necessity of correcting the reform of Russian higher education based on the use of the concept of the quadruple helix in the direction of determining the effectiveness of the functioning of higher education institutions and the system of higher education in general, the logic of regional development is substantiated. Assessment of the impact of Russian universities on regional development is carried out in two stages using statistical analysis methods. On the first stage, the influence of the establishment of the status of leading HEIs on the change in the index of the scientific and technical potential of the regions of their basing (as an indicator of the development of the «knowledge space») is determined. On the second stage, the correlation of the index of the scientific and technical potential of the regions with the change in GRP per capita is determined. The study revealed that the formation of leading universities as a whole had no significant effect on the degree of development of the «knowledge space» of the regions, and also confirmed the indirect influence of higher educational institutions on the level of socio-economic development (through the level of development of the «knowledge space»). Need for more vigorous support from the federal center of the program for the creation of supporting universities as an important part of regional policy is justified on this basis.