Education Clusters in Fostering Innovation Security: Experience of Rostov and Kaliningrad Regions in Western Russia

Abstract

The article is devoted to the urgent problems of innovation development and innovation security of border regions, focusing on the regions of Western Russia. The purpose of the paper is to trace the interrelations between economic, innovation and educational clustering in the situation of geo-economic turbulence and instability. These inter-organizational interactions are viewed to be one of the factors to increase regional innovation security. The research objective is to highlight the integrative role of the education system for the innovation economy of the regions. The comparative analysis of the experience of the self-sustained South-West (Rostov) region and the deeply integrated into European space North-West (Kaliningrad) one enables the researchers to identify the main factors of reaching innovation security via self-organizing cluster mechanisms. The results and the findings of the study (including the positive clustering experience) are to be used in the decision-making within regional governance.

Typology of Western Border Regions of Russia by the Level and Specifics of Innovation Security Problems

“…That is why the regions of various production profiles and some comparatively higher developed and competitive sectors can be grouped into specific typological units. Our previous studies indentified such effects in the touristic regions [28], coastal ones, that is associated with advanced temps of coastal centers' development and the complex of maritime activities, mostly resistant to the geo-economic turbulence [29], and as well as in regions with developed sector of higher education, that lead to the mutual education-innovation clustering [30]. The same takes place in the cases when the clustering involves the interaction between educational sector and business [31].…”