The article deals with analysis of the institutional conversion in the sphere of higher education that allow
formation of regional and sectoral growth points by creation of powerful scientific research and educational
centers, providing innovation development of the economy. Besides, the authors mark several important
problems that may put serious limitations of this process.

The article is devoted to the Project of forming the system organizational, methodical and analytical
support of forming the network of federal universities, carried out by the specialists of Net Academy ?LANIT?.
The conditions of organizational, legal and informational character promoting successful development of the
network of federal universities also present the purpose of this project. Analytical and methodical materials
created in the course of the Project implementation as well as informational resources and events worked out
are also represented in the article.

Appearance of new educational institutions - Federal Universities (Southern and Siberian) - has
created some natural supplementary challenges to the existing normative and legislative basis for educational
activities in Russia. New conception of the ?National Research University? has appeared immediately after
(at the close of August 2008) and sharpened the necessity of introducing some urgent changes into Russian
legislative basis for proper explanation of essence, duties, mechanisms of economic activities and development
of new educational structures. In the present paper the authors made an attempt to comprehend the most
urgent problems in arranging collaboration of new educational institutions with research centers and industrial
enterprises. In addition, the authors tried to describe the step-by-step process on creation of the Federal
University.

The paper presents key findings from the analysis of the established as well as prospective areas for the
Russian HEIs regional engagement. It highlights the impact made by the Siberian Federal University and
South Federal University to the regional development. The paper discloses mechanisms of integration of the
Russian HEIs to the regional life based on four areas of cooperation such as economic, social, political and
technological areas. It also demonstrates innovative capabilities for regions and city regions from the multilateral
cooperation between HEIs and other regional stakeholders.

The problem of defining the well-grounded ratio between the number of the professorial staff (PS) and
the number of the students to be trained is not a problem of individual significance. It seems reasonable to
consider the problem only in the correlation with the problem of defining the scope of the wage fund (WF)
allocated by governmental bodies to the PS members per a student. So, two parties are interested in effective
resolution of the problems, namely administration of educational institutions and the RF Ministry of Finance.
As history of the problem shows, the first party exerts every efforts to reduce the number of the students per
an instructor while the second party tries to reach an opposite purpose, i.e. to increase the number of the
students for economy of the state expenditures. The paper analyzes essence of the problem on the base of real
informative materials and expert conclusions, the existing Russian legislative propositions and discussions of
the problems in the Internet conferences.

The issue of the article is the ways of modernization for the native high school, creation of the federal
network of Universities, including research ones, in particular. The starting point is the thesis that the
Russian system of higher education in its actual kind is not able to prepare in large scale professionals, who
would match the modern requirements and is not competitable on the international market of labour and
educational services. The most important condition of national economy increase and solution of social
problems is modernization of the higher vocational education system. The latter requires raising of the
interest on each level to its problems and management efficiency, introduction of necessary alterations to the
actual legislation, real integration in the leading scientific-educational centers from both scientific and practical
activity, and finally controllable allocation of the required investment volume, aimed to solve the accumulated
during decades problems in complex.

The article represents the grounds for creation of the Far East Federal University, its purpose and main
tasks, the prior tendencies of scientific and educational activity, providing real competitive advantages of the
University, structure of educational programs and organizing of the training, innovative activity of FEFU and
other aspects of its forming and development.

On an example of the Kazan State University possibility of creation of Federal university is considered.
Advantages and features of creation of Federal university on the basis of the classical research are discussed.
The conclusion about similarity of the purposes of creation of imperial universities in the Russian empire and
Federal - in the Russian Federation becomes. Data on scientifically-educational potential existing today at
the Kazan University which can form a basis for new type of high school and prospective new directions of
preparation of experts are resulted. The special attention addresses on humanitarian aspects of activity of
Federal universities.

In this article the concept of Ural Federal University foundation is considered on the basis of two major
universities in the Ural region - the Ural State Technical University named after B.N. Yeltsin and the Ural
State University named after A.M. Gorky with active participation of Russian Science Academy Ural department.
The issues under discussion are the most important objectives and directions for realization of Ural Federal
University Concept.
Creation and development of Ural Federal University will cause a new urge for progress in the Ural, will
favor technological renovation of traditional and post-industrial sectors of the national economy, forming
intellectually rich and comfortable environment for citizens of Russia.

The authors analyze the modern state of the higher education system in Russia from the point of forming
federal universities and necessary consolidation of higher educational institutions for the purpose of international
educational market entry through the development of new directions at the departments of existing institutions.
The South-Ural State University may serve an example of such educational institution that matches the
concept of federal university nowadays.

Preconditions for creation of National Research University in public health on the base of the Moscow
Medical Academy, main tasks and purpose indicators of such university are considered in the article. Priorities of
the university development, rising of the competitiveness medical and pharmaceutical education in our country,
methods of optimizing the economical mechanisms of innovation activity in the Academy are analyzed as well.

The article deals with the concept of development of State University of Nizhny Novgorod and its role
in Privolzhsky district, presents the plan of development of the University as the center of net interaction in
the region.