Scientific and Methodological Approaches to the Assessment of National Research Universities

Abstract

The strategy of innovative development of Russia requires the formation of national research universities of the international level. Twenty-nine Russian universities have already been awarded this status. They are faced with a difficult task - to become the movers of priority areas for the development of science, technology, economic sectors, and the social sphere. The paper discusses the issue of assessing the quality of the activities of universities in the category "National Research University" (NRU). The disadvantages of existing approaches to assessing the activities of universities are highlighted. It is proposed to use self-assessment with the involvement of independent experts as a tool for assessing the activities of the NRU and its improvement. A process model and criteria for assessing the quality of the activities of a national research university have been developed. A mathematical model of the preferences of a decision-maker (DM) for a comprehensive assessment of the quality of NRU activities has been built. The model takes into account the individual and rational preferences of decision makers, as well as the balance of approaches and results to ensure the quality of NRU activities. Estimates of the numerical values of the parameters of the developed mathematical model are determined. For this, an experiment was planned and a D-optimal supersaturated design was built. The quality indicators of the developed model are calculated, which allow us to conclude that the developed model better describes the results of the experiment than the existing models.