This article examines the problem of the Russian university’s identity in the context of contemporary challenges and global trends in higher education. It analyzes the identity crisis experienced by the Russian university and its causes, related to the borrowing of Western models and the loss of connection with its own traditions. The concept of “service” (sluzhenie) is proposed as an ontological foundation for the Russian university, rooted in the national intellectual tradition and capable of becoming the basis for forming an adequate development strategy. The historical stages of the Russian university’s development are examined, and the overarching idea of “service” (sluzhenie), running through all transformations, is identified. The necessity of creatively reinterpreting this tradition in the modern context to solve the current problems of Russian higher education is substantiated.

The relevance of the study of generations and intergenerational interactions in the university environment is due to the need to study their role in the development of higher education in the context of its transformation. Understanding the problems of intergenerational relations in universities requires a critical analysis of the theoretical and methodological foundations for their study. The purpose of the article is to systematize domestic and foreign approaches to the study of generations in universities in the context of developing the concept of generational interactions of educational communities in the Russian university community. Based on a critical analysis of existing concepts for studying generations in universities, the prospects for the development of the generational-functional approach and the organizational theory of generations in relation to the study of generational interactions in Russian universities are substantiated. The authors formulated the main provisions of the concept of generational interactions in universities in the mirror of the integration of domestic and foreign theoretical and methodological achievements. Particular attention is paid to the methodological aspects of the study of the university generational structure and the practical significance of the developed concept for managing intergenerational relations and realizing the potential of generational diversity in higher education.

The article examines the formation of interaction practices between Russian university students and generative artificial intelligence in the educational process through the lens of the “digital centaur” concept – a symbiotic alliance between human and machine. The authors analyze how students who actively use AI and do not consider it academic misconduct develop new social practices of cooperation with technology when writing academic and scientific papers.

Based on 15 in-depth interviews with students, key interaction patterns were identified: using AI as a trusted interlocutor to overcome “writers block”, strategic delegation of routine tasks while preserving creative functions for humans, formation of new authorship rhetoric with the principle of asymmetric participant contribution. The study captures the emergence of horizontal micro- networks for resource and life-hack exchange, transformation of relationships with antiplagiarism systems, and changes in the teacher’s role from controller to curator.

The results demonstrate a transitional phase of AI literacy institutionalization in higher education. The authors invite discussion on creating transparent authorship and assessment rules capable of ensuring honest and effective human-artificial intelligence partnership in the univer- sity environment.

The purpose of the article is to update the content of Russian youth’s education in the “Startup as a Diploma” format in the higher education system in order to increase the effectiveness of involving young people in entrepreneurship and ensure the competitiveness of the Russian economy. The study is based on the functional theory of entrepreneurship and the competence-based approach in education. The article reveals the core of the professional identity of graduates of educational programs in the format of “Startup as a Diploma”, provides a rationale for the didactic framework of training future start-up entrepreneurs – qualified pro- fessionals in the field of entrepreneurship, and discusses the basic features of ensuring the format of “Startup as a Diploma” in the process of preparation and implementation of higher education programs.

In connection with Russia’s withdrawal from the Bologna Process, approaches to the organization of domestic higher education are being revised. But this mainly concerns the issue of level-based education. At the same time, Russia’s entry into the Bologna Process has led to changes not only in the levels of higher education, but also in some of its other aspects. One of these aspects is the competency-based approach to learning. This article examines the question of whether it is subject to revision in connection with a possible future reorganization of higher education in Russia. To answer this question, the authors assess the current state of the competency-based approach to learning in higher education in Russia. This assessment is determined on the basis of a study of the current level of interpretation of the essence of the competency-based approach and related concepts in scientific and regulatory literature, the degree of development of competency systems used in Russian universities, the current state of the criteria used to assess the formation of competencies, as well as the perception of the competency-based approach by students and university teachers. As a result of the conducted research, both positive and problematic aspects of the application of the competence-based approach to training in higher education in Russia at the current stage of its development are identified and systematized. The article substantiates and brings up for discussion three possible scenarios for the future use of the competence-based approach in the process of further development of higher education in Russia. The opinion on the most appropriate and probable of these scenarios is argued. Recommendations for the implementation of this scenario are substantiated. This article may be of interest to the organization of higher education in universities, as well as to developers of higher education standards.

Russian universities are increasingly involved in pursuing the national objective of technological leadership by adopting new approaches to the organisation and financing of research and development (R&D). The state-driven shift toward the creation of innovative products with commercialisation potential calls for a new paradigm in assessing research performance – one that prioritises the efficiency of R&D expenditures. Leading institutions are moving from a cost-based R&D funding model to an investment model, in which projects are evaluated according to their prospective commercial value and return on investment. A comprehensive description of this model is still largely absent from the academic literature. The present study seeks to conceptualise an investment model of university R&D funding by building its theoretical framework and aggregating advanced practical solutions. Employing a set of complementary methods – namely theoretical modelling, systems analysis, and the examination of government policy papers and university documents – the study traces the transformation of university R&D funding from a cost-oriented to an investment-oriented approach. It concludes that the investment model assigns the university the active role of an investor focused on generating profit from the commercialisation of intellectual property assets and on attracting extrabudgetary R&D funding from industrial partners. The paper proposes a theoretical construct of the model, outlining its principal characteristics and stages of implementation. Based on an analysis of practices at leading Russian universities, six key trends in the model’s formation are identified and illustrated with concrete institutional examples. Overall, the article attempts to systematise both the content and the practices associated with the investment model of university R&D funding, thereby contributing to the theoretical understanding of how research financing in Russian higher education is being transformed under contemporary conditions.

The article presents the results of a sociological survey of Russian students about their views on the individual future and the future of Russian society. The following indicators of the image of the individual and collective future formed in the minds of Russian students were studied: the dynamics of social well-being, ideas about the present and future geopolitical role of Russia, assessment of the development of social and political systems, emigration potential of student youth, value profile of its representatives, their ideas about their place in the system of social relations of Russia of the future. The dominance of positive and constructive assessments of the current state of affairs and the country’s development strategy among Russian students was revealed. Along with the predominance of students’ awareness of the leading role of Russia in solving global problems as one of the geopolitical centers, student youth understood the absolute priority of sovereignty and independence of the state, even to the detriment of some indicators of socio-economic development. At the same time, microsociality and focus on the interests of the immediate environment remain the prevailing focus in comparison with the public good. Students with different profiles of attitudes to the geopolitical role of the country demonstrate a significant difference in the semantic content of the horizon of planning the future. Those who consider Russia to be a leading geopolitical player have the most responsible and constructive position in the process of planning the horizons of the future, their place in achieving the desired future. The segment of students who limit Russia to the role of the leader of the post-Soviet space and do not believe that the country influences world processes should be recognized as a profile with significant limits in the formation of a conventional strategy for building the future in the system of public relations. In working with these students, it is important for universities to consider the strategy of their information behavior, to develop competencies in the competent analysis of modern digital resources, as well as the skills of understanding current geopolitical challenges and interpreting the strategy of external network actors in connection with the intensifying civilizational confrontation.

The article examines the importance of the humanities in the educational professional program from the point of view of practicing specialists. The ambivalent attitude toward the humanities in professional education requires clarification of the positions of all “stakeholders”, including practicing specialists. The paper describes various positions regarding the inclusion of humanities in non-humanities professional education and examines the main reasons for dissatisfaction with them. It investigates the relevance of humanities to professional practice as viewed by practicing psychologists and psychotherapists and identifies the most relevant disciplines within this domain. In addition, it analyses the factors that most significantly influence their selection. For this qualitative study, 22 interviews were conducted (14 psychologists, 6 psychotherapists, 2 specialists working as both psychologists and psychotherapists). The spe- cialists represent different therapeutic traditions. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The work with the interview results was based on deductive qualitative analysis; thematic analysis was used to evaluate the transcribed interviews. The findings underscore the importance of humanities for the respondents. An analysis of disciplines mentioned by respondents indicates that the most relevant humanities subjects are those that enhance the ability to work with phenomena of a person’s inner world through symbolic forms, as well as those that support the development of mental operations and communication skills.