The Role of Higher Education in Regional Development

Abstract

Innovation is an indispensable element in any sphere of social life, offering new vision on the primary challenges in global and Russian development, particularly at the regional level. Numerous studies acknowledge the significant role of the regional innovation system as a crucial point of development of regional potential. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the core role of universities in fostering innovative regional systems and establishing the link between universities and regional innovation. The correlation was identified by building a model, using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). The results showed that the regions with the most active universities-driven innovation include the Moscow region, the Arkhangelsk region, St. Petersburg, the Republic of Mordovia, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Perm region, the Amur region, and the Magadan region.