Greenfield Projects in the Higher Education Ecosystem: The Case of BS BRICS

Abstract

The ideas of global education and changes in the educational paradigm have determined new paths for the evolution of higher education, which are based on the creation and use of educational innovations, and have led to the emergence of greenfield projects as a new education initiative. In this paper, we analyze the prerequisites and practices of greenfield-based modernization in Russia’s higher education. Specifically, the study’s goal is to elaborate on the role of greenfield projects in the transformation of the higher education ecosystem. University is a key element of the education ecosystem, and its greenfield projects are drivers that foster education initiative and technology innovation, transform the ecosystem and create conditions for its further development. The method of case study made it possible to analyze the mechanism of initiating change in a particular university, identify the specific development aspects of a local greenfield project, BS BRICS, and demonstrate its systemic influence not only on the university but also on the region as a whole. Greenfield projects help universities engage actively in the formation of modern higher education landscape rather than just get passively integrated, thus extending the ecosystem’s opportunities for collaborations and innovation funding.