Developing Innovation Ecosystem of the University Through Implementation of Interfaculty Master's Program: The Case of LMSU

This article discusses the overall performance of the first interfaculty Master's program at Lomonosov Moscow State University (LMSU) called "Management of Biotechnology" (MB), and significance of its contribution to the development of the University's innovation ecosystem (IE). The program was implemented by the Faculty of Economics in conjunction with the Faculty of Biology. We deduced the following three hypotheses: Implementation of the MB Master's program promotes development of the University's IE since it attracts students to working in a knowledge-intensive industry, where biotechnology is used extensively; MB Master's program stimulates development of entrepreneurial skills among students which is essential for work in high technology industries related to biotechnology; MB Master's program facilitates implementation and, hence, contributes to further commercialization of high-tech biotechnology products which are created on the basis of the Faculty of Biology. Within our methodological framework we used a combination of research methods which encompass the analysis of: Embodied lived experience of the authors before empirical data were collected via self-inspection and reflection of own experience; Interviews: results of published scientific research and interviews conducted by the team during 2012-2016; Surveys: we assessed responses of students, stakeholders of IE of LMSU and potential employers which were conducted during 2014-2015. The results generally confirm all three hypotheses presented above. Moreover, we found out that students that are enrolled in the program demonstrate a good level of motivation and interest in the subject matter which stimulates an increasing support from employers and members of the IE of the university. At the same time, there are limitations, including slowly developing market for biotech innovations in Russia, which leads to limited employment opportunities for students, as well as difficulties associated with commercialization of biotechnological products in LMSU due to the generally theoretical nature of such products. Nevertheless, our MB program integrates these projects into the curriculum to allow students to gain practical experience in biotechnology field.