A country's competitiveness in modern times depends on the level of education and science. Today universities of Russia are in transition from being highly specialized educational institutions, which used to produce knowledge tailored to Russia's industrialization needs, to a system producing innovations for the economy as a whole. Topics to be discussed: - university as the basis for innovative and educational ecosystem of a city and territory - university cities: how to balance between the interests of residents and «expats» - modern university campuses: development trends - how does the change in university strategy affect the territory?