"Federal universities are created for considerable improving of social and economic situation in regions, that is why they will be created in those Russian Federation subjects, in which such qualitative changes are needed", - stressed the Minister of education and science of the Russian Federation Andrei Fursenko at the meeting of the Interdepartmental workgroup on realization of the priority national project "Education".

At present the Ministry of education and science has prepared the project of Concept of forming and developing of federal universities in the country, in which a phased developments of federal universities network is planned. In 2010 the completion of 5-year programs of developing the already created Siberian and South federal universities is planned, and then - creating federal universities in North-West, Ural, Volga and Far East federal regions is scheduled.

"Up to this moment to the Ministry of education and science of Russia more than 30 initiatives on creating federal universities from the Russian Federation subjects have been sent", -- informed the deputy head of the Department of strategy and perspective projects in education and science of the Ministry of education and science of Russia Evgeniy Knyazev. By his estimation, the creation of a federal university should be regarded as a grand investment project, in the realization of which the federal center, regions and business community should be interested.

The federal universities in the South and Siberian federal regions were created within the priority national project of the basis of existing universities and academic centers in Rostov region and Krasnoyarsk region. Each university received around 6 billion rubles for realization of their development programs in 2007-2009. Providing state support to the development programs of new federal universities is supposed within the Federal target program of education development in 2011-2015.

For reference:

Strategic mission of a federal university is formation and development of a competitive human capital in the federal regions on the basis of creating and realization of innovative services and elaborations. A federal university carries out this mission, organizing and coordinating works in the federal region on balanced provision of grand programs of social and economic development of territories and regions in its structure by qualified personnel, and scientific, technical and technological solutions, including move of the results of intellectual activity to practical use.

A federal region is an autonomous institution, carrying out educational, scientific and innovative activity on a wide specter of directions with aim of integrative personnel and scientific provision of large-scale projects and programs of federal and/or regional level. The priority of a federal university's activity is training, retraining, raising the level of personnel skills and elaborating of scientific and technical solutions for innovative development of the regions and the country, the realization of its geopolitical interests.