BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

The Russian Federation opened up its market and joined the global market oriented economy. The embedding into international economic and political environment requires adoptation of the common institutional forms and practices resulting from globalization influences. But this trend, concurrent with the continued institution building that determine the character of political activity, set the patterns of interaction between domestic groups of actors, shape their strategies and regulations, will be the reality of the next decade. At the present time institution building is weak in Russia in comparison with many European countries. Today, it is urgent to solve the problems related to the reformation of the most significant groups of institutions such as the Institution of innovation development, the Institution of property evaluation, the Institution of corporate governance and Banking system which are the prospective fields of economic development of Russia.
The development of market relations in Russia requires widening the range of evaluation activity and improving of its independent and internal application mechanisms. As a result the issues of organization's assets evaluation and business evaluation in general are becoming pressing. But the lack of necessary skills and experience of Russian managers in field of property evaluation, in questions of practical use of evaluation methodology, the lack of knowledge of approahes to assets ans business evaluation and making business decisions aimed at property cost increase are the evidence of the necessity of the institution of property evaluation development. Advanced training of professional appraisers would contribute a lot into evaluation activity strenthening in Russia.
The economic development of Russia depends a lot on the effective innovation policy. The lack of skills and knowledge in the sphere of marketing and commercialization of innovations, the lack of interaction between local authorities, scientific and business circles don’t allow to use completely scientific and technological potential of our countries for social and economic development.
Development of training courses for specialists from organizations participating in innovation processes would provide trainees with necessary knowledge of innovation management, finance, economics, set up a base for interregional and international relations development in innovation sphere and contribute to integration in the world economic arena.
The economic and social development of a country is impossible without effective and stable functioning of Banking system. The specific character of Russian Banking system as an Institute of market economy is defined by short time of its development, conditions of its formation and peculiarities of market economy functioning which is not formed yet. Transition from the Banking system which served the planned economy to a new one which should correspond to the working market mechanism was carried out during a short period of time. The lack of highly qualified specialists of operating and senior level in the bank management hinders the application of banking system potential as the Institute of Market economy in full. Improvement of Higher School educational system in banking specialization including training and retraining Banking organizations personnel seems to be the only possible way out of such an unpleasant situation on a macro level. Thus, gaining new knowledge in the sphere of internal banks processes reorganization, upgrading of approaches to control systems forming (including corporate risk management, internal control system), business planning, organizational structures and banking procedures will contribute to the present Banking system entering new qualitative level of its development and to its integration into the world economic community.
Necessary condition for market economy formation is the becoming and development of a corporate sector which is represented by large and medium enterprises of industry, agriculture, trade, energy and banking. Specialists in the sphere of corporate management who have considerable knowledge background in economics and management should manage such enterprises. There are many vacancies for top managers in employment agencies and at enterprises. But at the same time there is shortage of such specialists in Russia. The lack of top managers is the constraint of economics development. The delivery of special training courses for practitioners advanced training would countribute a lot into the corporate sector development.
Thus, the development of these institutions as guiding principles, norms and rules will promote the establishment of law and market oriented economy in Russia.
Partner Universities try to keep an eye on the latest changes of the labour-market and to study the demand for specialists. They know that highly ualified specialists in sphere of innovation management, evaluation activity, corporate governance and banking management are in strong demand. But, unfortunately, the main part of practitioners of Russian enterprises was educated in the Soviet period of planned-commanded economy and is not able to realize business activity in new market conditions effectively. In this connection it is crucially important to retrain and to enhance professional skills of entrepreneurs and practitioners of Russia according to European standards. But the lack of proper training courses doesn’t allow providing professional support to the development of institution structures of Russia. At the same time the implementation of the proposed project coincides with the development strategies of partner Universities. Their potential including substantional material resourses, experience in sphere of updating the qualification of practitioners and existing Centres of Further (long life) Education may be used for Centres of Institution Building establishment with the purpose of development and delivery of special training courses for mature specialists who are employed in sphere of innovation management, evaluation activity, corporate governance and Banking system. Non-acadenic partners incuded in the Consortium will provide the interaction with organizations which staff will be the trainees of newly developed special training courses and render assistance in recruiting new trainees.
Meantime the situation in Russian system of higher education substantially differs from European standards. Due to the lack of two level training and the lack of module system it is rather complicated to adapt educational methodologies and approaches to European models of education.
Educational experience of European Universities could contribute a lot into implementation of this Project.
Under these circumstances project proposal to develop special training courses for the purpose of updating the qualification of mature specialists came into being.