The article shows the connection between higher education and the country's competitiveness. The competitiveness of a country depends on its human capital. Human capital is determined by the key factors - the level of education of the population, scientific potential, experience of successful projects. The authors argued that the role of human capital formation belongs to the modern university. The modern university is faced with the need to find new ways to integrate with the environment of modern economic society, to be competitive.
For Ukraine's competitiveness to increase, Ukraine's higher education must be included in the system of economic relations. Public policy should accelerate the process of cooperation between universities and corporations.
The modern mission of the university is teaching, research, the interaction between education, science, business, local communities, and other communities. When the three components of the mission come together, higher education fulfills the goal of modern society. This is the mission of forming an innovative economy. Modern universities are turning into platforms that generate new knowledge, ideas, technologies, strategies of social development.
In this regard, public administration of higher education, especially public universities, is a factor in increasing the competitiveness of the society. Therefore, public policy should focus on those areas where the state has the main role. This is the development of education and science. The role of the state is to create and maintain conditions for the development of educational, scientific, scientific, and technical, innovative activities of universities, academies, institutes, colleges, as well as the creation of public-private partnerships in higher education.