In the paper the authors identified seven key conceptual foundations of higher education based on the analysis of organizational and substantive features of networking, digitalization and on-lineization process of the Russian education system (NDORES), as a continuation of e-Learning development in the digital educational environment (DEE) and the results of the assessment of the Russian higher education readiness to the digital economy, obtained by N.V. Dneprovskoy. These include conceptual condition for the recognition of the leading role of the DEE in the system of science - culture - learner - intelligence for education subjects reflection development in human-machine systems and information society; optimization of continuous education concept on the basis of NDORES principles; directive change of educational process (EP) stereotypes in DEE; creation of a system of mandatory training and retraining of education subjects for daily learning and teaching activities in DEE; optimization, adaptation and digital transformation of the content of the main professional educational programs (MPEP) of training in the framework of existing and future Federal state educational standards of higher education (FSES HO); determination of effective motivational and value bases for communicative competence development of education the subjects in NDORES; changing legislative and policy approaches to the organization of NDORES, including provisions of the Labour code of the Russian Federation in the part concerning the rights and responsibilities of teachers carrying out their work in the context of DEE. The paper substantiates the demand for these conceptual foundations in the strategic and tactical directions of digitalization of higher education in the digital economy.