CREATION OF DIGITAL UNIVERSITIES THROUGH INTERACTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AND ANALYSIS OF READINESS FOR DIGITALIZATION: AN EXAMPLE OF RUSSIA

Abstract

Current issues of restructuring the modern higher education in the Russian Federation are now increasingly being discussed at the state level. Training and forming the staff of the future is a strategic task that should be worked out and implemented in the short term. This task is the foundation and basis for the further development of the country's economy. New technological challenges within the national technological initiative being implemented in the Russian Federation, as well as changes in the formats of education, lead to significant restructuring and challenges for the universities of the future. The transformation of universities occurs not without the help of the state. Modernization and development of education roadmaps is carried out. The article analysesthe current education system and new challenges in the context of the impact of digitalization on education and compares it with the updated education development roadmap. The central place of digital universities is highlighted as a link between the applicant and the employer. In 2019, in the framework of the national program “Digital Economy in the Russian Federation” and the federal project “Personnel for the Digital Economy”, a competition was held for the provision of subsidies for the development of “Digital University” models. Based on the results of the selection, 5 leading universities of the Russian Federation received funding. The article discusses some educational models of the winners, their features of the transition from traditional to digital university. Focus is placed on the format of continuing education and the creation of a unified educational environment for a person throughout his life. There are presented the main features, problems and advantages in the formation and implementation of the “Digital University” in cooperation between universities of the 1st and 2nd waves of financing. The analysis of universities of the Russian Federation has been performed, on their readiness for the transition to digital transformation.