Scientific and Educational Communities of Universities as a Subject of Science Development: Specificity of the Ural Federal District

Introduction. The relevance of this article stems from the need to overcome the limitations that hinder the active involvement of university research in macroregions in the sustainable development of the country and its constituent entities, as well as the development of university research itself. One such limitation is the underutilization of the potential of university educational communities in academic and industry-specific research. This study aims to identify the specific activities of research and teaching staff (R&T), student, and administrative and management staff (AMS) communities as actors in the development of the university segment of the scientific space in the Ural Federal District (UFD).

Methodology and sources. The study draws on community and activity-based approaches within the framework of theories of social community and theories of action and interaction as applied to higher education. The empirical base is a combination of statistical data from RosStat, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, and the Russian Science Citation Index (RSCI), along with the results of two waves of expert interviews with research, teaching, and administrative staff at universities in the Ural Federal District, 2024–2025 (Ntotal = 116).

Results and discussion. A theoretical and empirical study was conducted on the role of these scientific and educational communities in the development of university science. The characteristics of their publication activity were identified, and the elements and connections of consolidation of these communities within the university scientific space were defined. The concept of "scientific agency of university scientific space actors" was formulated. Regional data were collected on the number of researchers – doctors and candidates of science – as the main driving force of science in the Ural macroregion, and the number of Ural Federal District university communities – staff with academic degrees – was calculated. Data on the publication activity of university RSCI communities by region was analyzed. A conclusion was reached that publication activity is independent of the status and size of the university. The consolidation of scientific and educational communities is examined as a unity of group cohesion, autonomy in choosing research tracks, and the ability to self-identify and self-organize. Using interview transcripts, the specifics of their manifestation are demonstrated.

Conclusion. It is concluded that the subjectivity of scientific and educational communities is most pronounced in the scientific space of the universities themselves, and least pronounced in the sectoral science segment. Ecosystem models of university scientific space organization are proposed as a way to increase the influence of the communities under study. The objective is to study the practices of interaction and social participation of university scientific and educational communities in the development of science and to determine the parameters of this model.

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