Dmitry Savkin — Candidate of Sciences in Political Science, Vice-Rector for International Affairs, Irkutsk National Research Technical University (INRTU); Head of Baikal School of BRICS, INRTU. E-mail: d.savkin@mail.ru

Elena Loktionova — Candidate of Sciences in Economics, Senior Researcher, Baikal School of BRICS, Irkutsk National Research Technical University (INRTU). E-mail: loktionova_ea@mail.ru

Daria Khlebovich — Candidate of Sciences in Economics, Associate Professor, Deputy Head of Baikal School of BRICS, Irkutsk National Research Technical University (INRTU). E-mail: daria.khlebovich@gmail.com

Address: 83 Lermontova Str., 664074 Irkutsk, Russian Federation.

The ideas of global education and changes in the educational paradigm have determined new paths for the development of higher education, which are based on the creation and use of educational innovations, and have led to the emergence of greenfield projects as a new educational initiative. In this paper, we analyze the prerequisites and practices of greenfield-based modernization in Russia’s higher education. Specifically, the study’s goal is to elaborate on the role of greenfield projects in the transformation of the higher education ecosystem.
University is a key element of the education ecosystem, and its greenfield projects are drivers that foster educational initiative and technology innovation, transform the ecosystem and create conditions for its further development.
The method of case study made it possible to analyze the mechanism of initiating change in a particular university, identify the specific development aspects of the local greenfield project, Baikal School of BRICS, and demonstrate its systemic influence not only on the university but also on the region as a whole.
Greenfield projects help universities engage actively in the formation of modern higher education landscape rather than just get passively integrated, thus extending the ecosystem’s opportunities for collaborations and innovation funding.