In view of working out strategies of development of Russian universities the research is devoted to skill improvement programs management in the frame of large-scale projects aiming to effectively equip research and research based educational centres. A new problem of budget management for large-scale projects is under consideration. The approach suggested and verified allows to implement simultaneously many different and highly specialized skill growth programs needed by the participants. Based on UNN experience, functions and interactions of network management and hierarchical control have been presented in the frame of the suggested scheme.

The paper analyses competitive advantages of providing network-enabled educational programs. It also presents the peculiarities of IT penetration into HEIs. Knowledge management principles allowed to state goals and objectives for organizing University network-enabled information environment. The author offered a system of quantitative and qualitative indicators, and a methodology to determine educational services innovativeness. They enabled to analyze the innovation efficiency of “resources-processes-results” pattern.

Investigated subjects and sources of funding of research in the field of economic and social sciences at universities and research institutions of the Siberian Federal District. It is concluded that these works are mainly financed from the budget system. Some of the themes of the research management issues dominated regions and municipalities, to elaborate strategies and programs of development, modernization of the economy of innovation.

A methodology for management of dissertation council network quantitative and qualitative composition was developed. The methodology is based on integrated assessment of dissertation council activities with respect to three issues: scientific activity at the organization, where the council is found and operates; dissertation council network quantitative and qualitative composition; quantitative and qualitative composition of those who had defenses of their candidate or doctor of science degree works at the council.

The activity in publications, in particular the total number of publications and the citation index are important criteria for evaluation of efficiency of universities and R&D institutes activities. The paper presents the results analysis of correlation between publication activity and financial support and the financial motivation for staff. The financial mechanisms for supporting scientific research considered as factors, which influenced to the activity in publication of Russian scientists.

The problems of the automation of the student’s selection process for the magistracy are discussed. Authors justified the necessity of the university’s organizational structure extending by the additional department that would manage the input selection of masters based on the competencies analysis. The description of the algorithm of the master’s selection process automated with using of the Decision Support System (ADSS) based on the intelligent technologies is given.

Differentiation or institutional differentiation is the formation of sustainable models of organization of the work of universities (reproduced in main processes, management, programs and results) as an integrated response to a specific historical combination of factors of the external and the internal environment. Based on the analysis of the drivers of differentiation authors described 4 models of higher education institutions are being created in Russia: 1) University-Researcher, 2) University-System Integrator, 3) University-Regional Integrator, 4) University-Local Human Resource Constructor.

The analysis of current state and perspectives of development of higher professional education in Russia. For the positioning of regional University offered as the base model of a traditional University, which should improve in terms of introduction of modern models (the problematic and project management) and technology (e-learning) training. Regional University want to create poles of excellence in research and entrepreneurial activities which will form the basis for the subsequent development of competitive advantages.

In this paper the authors study the innovation challenge to the contemporary university. The authors will focus on following problems: the complexity of the transformation of the university within the framework of the innovation economy, the indicators of innovation activity of universities, the framework conditions for innovation universities and the organizational restructuring of universities.

With changes in the external environment universities in dire need of technologies of strategic management, which until now were not such relevant. Traditional technologies and strategic management tools need to be adapted in relation to higher education institutions. Our proposed document templates allow each step to filter and rank the factors. Allowing begin planning projects which implement strategies. The article is devoted to the technology of strategic planning at the university.