VEB.RF and Strelka KB Study: How New Campuses Can Meet Contemporary Challenges of Students, Universities, Cities and Regions

With support from the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education, VEB.RF and Strelka KB carried out a study into the current needs and problems of Russian students and universities. The study served as a basis for scenarios of how to set up modern interuniversity campuses in seven Russian pilot cities. The integrated project to create an innovative educational environment (campuses) through public-private partnerships will ensure the achievement of the targets specified in the Infrastructure federal project under the Science and Universities national project, encourage the development of educational infrastructure and bring into existence a qualitatively new educational and urban environment. The implementation of such projects in the regions will contribute towards the national goal “Opportunities for Self-actualization and Talent Development”.

In the seven pilot cities of the project—Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Nizhni Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Perm, Tyumen and Tomsk—53% of universities face a shortage of student accommodation. More than 20% of students are not provided with occupancy rooms. At the same time, sociological studies show that student accommodation and its quality are key to selecting a university among non-resident and foreign applicants. In the course of surveys and interviews, respondents made known their vision of the perfect campus and expressed their ideas about the social and commercial functions, occupancy rooms and socio-cultural programmes of campuses. Using a new form of an innovative educational environment, namely interuniversity campuses, will help to meet the needs of students, attract talented applicants to regional universities and create new centres of urban life.

“Such projects are unique in Russia and combine private returnable investment with federal co-financing. VEB.RF built an economic and financial model for the campus and proposes that the integrated project to create an innovative educational environment should be implements in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. This is about a modern complex with sports facilities, coworking spaces, lecture halls, technology parks, libraries and, of course, living accommodation for students and teachers. The new format of campuses should become the core of a developing urban space and urban environment. This is a fundamentally new model: the creation of a smart space that geographically combines educational facilities with residence halls, with the entire infrastructure growing around this area,” said Svetlana Yachevskaya, Deputy Chairperson and member of the Board, VEB.RF.

It is intended that the study will provide the basis for pilot projects for interuniversity campuses. The scenarios include spatial planning, the functional distribution of floors, and the arrangement of residence halls. These projects can earn a total of over 36 billion roubles for the regional budgets. The seven pilot cities can provide accommodation for more than 51,000 people and create more than 2,000 jobs for small and medium-sized businesses. In addition, the new interuniversity campuses will make Russian academic programmes more attractive and will help to attract foreign students to Russia.

VEB.RF can use the findings of the study to conduct financial and economic due diligence for potential projects for interuniversity campuses in Russian cities. Such projects can be implemented under concession agreements or public-private partnership agreements. The study will help private investors to assess their interest in projects to set up comfortable and modern interuniversity campuses across Russia. As a development institution, VEB.RF considers its participation in the integrated campus project as an agent for the Russian Government. Additionally, VEB.RF can either seek private funding or provide financing for the project in partnership with banks.

“Interuniversity campuses are now created in the United States, Australia, India, Spain and other countries. The main distinguishing feature of this student accommodation is that these campuses can be shared by students studying at different universities. Common spaces on campus become places where representatives of different academic disciplines can communicate with each other, discussing the most challenging projects and collaborations for the first time. Commercial properties on campus are often popular among local residents, who can constitute as many as 90% of all visitors. The new campuses can, therefore, open up new opportunities for students and city dwellers, bring additional benefits for the universities and cities and nurture small businesses in Russian regions,” said Varvara Melnikova, CEO, Strelka Institute, and co-founder and partner, Strelka KB.

The study conducted by VEB.RF and Strelka KB shows that a modern campus provided with all necessary household appliances and furniture, conveniently located, easily accessible by public transport, and having a full range of social infrastructure facilities within walking distance can compare favourably with rented accommodation. Campus accommodation costs can, however, be comparable to those in the market.

The findings of the study can be found in more detail at http://campus.strelka-kb.com/.