The article is devoted to summarizing the results of development and implementation of the strategy of Ural Federal University. The work considers current changes in the world and in the Russian economy in particular that, on the one hand, determine the increasing role of universities in the development of regional economies and. on the other hand, open up new challenges and opportunities for the leading universities. Within the frames of the “knowledge triangle” concept it is shown that the leading Russian universities can and should play a leading role in the creation and development of science, education and innovation integration processes in Russia, and innovations serve to play a strategic role in these processes.
The particular attention is paid to the discussion of such strategic objectives of universities as transition from knowledge paradigm of education to the competencies transfer, new approaches to education meeting this objective, development of innovative culture of universities, new forms of cooperation with industry and fixing dear “rules of the game” in the field of intellectual property.