Abstract:

Activation of mutually beneficial cooperation between universities and business is an important area of regional development in a fast growing economy and globalization processes, where one of the development drivers is the technology and the results of scientific and technological progress. This issue becomes especially important in the Arctic zone considered as a promising region within the global economy and needed of additional incentives and resources for the development of the fullest possible use of existing capacity.
Currently, there are a number of studies that describe the most effective ways of collaboration between universities, business and government. The role and status of the university, as subjects responsible for the development of new knowledge, their new features and increased interaction with industry and government is more fully described in the framework of a triple helix. The thesis of the "triple helix" states that the university can play a more active role in the field of innovation especially in the framework of the formation of the knowledge economy. In addition, researchers set a number of classifications to describe interaction modes of universities and business, among which are the groups of activities in accordance with the geographical factor, the volume of links, the type of commercial relations, according to the method of production of new knowledge. At the same time, copying of best practices and attempts of its practical implementation faces with various organizational obstacles, legal and even psychological in nature, which differ among countries, and in certain regions within the same country.

The article presents the results of a study based on surveys conducted in European countries, including Scandinavia, EMCOSU countries (Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia, Spain) and other European countries. Another active participant in the survey was Russia - its northern regions.

The main method of study was in-depth interviews with leading employers from different countries. The aim of the study was to identify and summarize best practices of university business partnerships, identify barriers and drivers of such cooperation, understanding the benefits of bilateral cooperation, the study of the situation "from within" - trying to understand the employers' opinion about the prospects of cooperation with universities.

The study allowed generalizing the experience of universities - businesses interaction in Europe, highlighting features of interaction in the Arctic zone. The most interesting examples of the interaction were observed in Finland (for example, the University of Turku and the Technopolis Espoo region), Sweden, by the example of the Baltic University, as well as in Denmark (Aalborg University).

An important finding was the fact that Russia, as a country with a developing economy, also pays great attention to the issues of mutually beneficial cooperation between universities and businesses: creating his own practice and using foreign experience. It should be noted that the government is actively supporting the development of this direction in the framework of legislative initiatives to support business innovation.

This study allows us to compare the experience of cooperation and the results achieved in the EU, in the Arctic region and in Russia, and also it shows a list of the most common obstacles to effective cooperation between universities and businesses.

Keywords:

University-business cooperation, Arctic zone, interaction models.