Impact of higher education on sustainable development of national economy

At the current stage of human development, there is a transformation of socio-economic relations and activities of key subjects of national economies in the direction of ensuring sustainable development. The governments of the world’s leading countries faced the problem of ensuring economic growth and raising the standard of living of the population while preventing the harmful effects of anthropogenic activity on the natural environment and the well-being of future generations. One of the key roles in promoting sustainable development of the country is played by higher education. The purpose of the article is to study the impact of higher education on ensuring sustainable development of the country. In the conditions of development of a sustainable national economy, the higher education system can no longer perform only the role of a transmitter of information and knowledge from professors to students. Universities should turn into generators of knowledge, suppliers of innovative products and technologies, subjects of knowledge and information transfer. The authors conclude that the realization of the potential of higher education requires developed legislation and guarantees of strict compliance with its norms by all members of society, and also requires significant investments in educational, social and research activities of universities. The inflow of private investments into the higher education system will increase the efficiency of university activities and ensure the transfer of their innovative R&D results to the real sector of the national economy. Volumes and dynamics of financing of higher education and research from the business sector vary in different countries; it depends on the level and pace of economic development of the country, investment and business activizm, degree of development of partnership between universities and businesses, universities’ experience in commercializing R&D results. The article emphasizes that the main accent should be on the gradual involvement of all stakeholders in solving the problems of sustainable development and achieving the global Sustainable Development Goals. The authors of the article see the prospects for further research in the study of the experience of the world’s leading universities in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals with the aim of its further approbation in the activities of domestic higher education institutions.