Incoming and outgoing academic mobility in Russia and abroad: main trends, administrative challenges

Abstract

PurposeThe goal of research consists in identifying trends in academic mobility in Russia and abroad, primarily that of academic staff; contributing suggestions on improving the management of academic mobility processes.Design/methodology/approachThe research uses methods of observation, comparative analysis, as well as statistical method and generalization method supported by the facts. A comparative analysis of statistical data is made; these data were taken from the publicly available reliable sources of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Human Resource Development Department of the Asia–Pacific and others.FindingsIt was found that the level of academic mobility rises with the rising level of education. The overall mobility of tertiary students – in particular, students and postgraduate students, is growing throughout the world. Mobile postgraduate students demonstrate better research results during training. Even short-term academic internships for postgraduate students contribute to the successful implementation of research projects at their host university and the spread of new knowledge in general. In general, academic mobility contributes to the accumulation of human and cultural scientific capital that makes a connection between research communities in different countries. Based on the research findings, it was found that no statistics are collected on the foreign academic mobility of postgraduate students and young researchers in Russia. Based on the analysis, it may be deduced that the scope of academic mobility is extremely small. European countries are the main countries of prevailing academic mobility.Originality/valueGiven the importance of participation in foreign academic mobility for the development of the competitiveness of national science in Russia, it appears that there is a need to monitor the foreign academic mobility of Russian postgraduate students and young researchers. The monitoring of foreign academic mobility of Russian postgraduate students and young researchers is a systematic observation of the status and conditions of training highly qualified personnel in Russian educational establishments and scientific organizations, providing educational authorities of Russia with up-to-date information on the status of outgoing academic mobility necessary for analyzing and forecasting the development of the national education system and national labor market.