Rector of National Research Tomsk State University has presented the Tomsk model of university city development

From October 26 to October 27 the XIX All-Russian Forum «Strategic Planning in the Regions and Cities of Russia: Reality 2020 and the Agenda of the Decade» took place in online format. One of the events of the forum was a round table «Development Strategies of university cities», in which the rector of National Research Tomsk State University Eduard V. Galazhinsky presented the experience of Tomsk universities in the development of urban environment.

The round table was organised by the “Centre for Strategic Development” and moderated by Natalia Trunova, Vice-President of the “Centre for Strategic Development” and Head of “Spatial Development”. The meeting was attended by Vladimir Knyaginin, Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg; Mikhail Alashkevich, Senior Vice President of VEB.RF; Natalia Trukhanovskaya, Director of the Department for Coordination of Higher Education Organizations of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and other experts.

The participants talked about universities as the basis of the innovation and educational ecosystem of the city and the territory; they proposed approaches to balancing the interests of residents and «expats» and the formation of modern university campuses. They also discussed how changes in the university strategy affect the territory.

According to Eduard V. Galazhinsky, urban development based on knowledge includes economic, socio-cultural, territorial and institutional development.

As one of the arguments, the rector cited Steve Fuller, Professor at University of Warwick (England), President of the Sociology Section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science: “An entire region can be transformed in the image of a university if it is populated by a large number of scientists; and the residents themselves become academically educated and included in the activities of the university. <…> It is more important to maintain a relationship with the environment than your sense of independence from the environment. Universities have to go where states are afraid to step”.

The university is often the core of the knowledge ecosystem in innovation clusters and areas. It ensures that human capital is concentrated as a carrier of complementary intellectual resources. Success depends on how well a region exploits intellectual capital and intangible assets such as skills and creativity. Equally important is the availability of adequate technological infrastructure and links to the global economy.

In Tomsk, city development is directly linked to the work of universities, and according to recent data, Tomsk is among the top 10 safest and most accessible student cities in the world.