Innovative Higher Education: Balance between the Cooperation and Competition

Abstract

Nothing is fostering innovations in higher education faster than 'demand for required solution' and 'demand for stronger position or leadership.' The first demand is for friendly cooperation among institutions; the second is for competition. Noticeably, that second demand, highlighting a few important aspects, is closely related to the first one – gaining a stronger position sometimes means a sort of contribution in order to solve related problems. The Vice versa effect, when the successful solution strengthens the position in the market, is also frequent. In order to cover the wide spectrum of demand, both 'solution' and 'leadership' should be understood in an extensive context. Analysis of related preconditions proves that both cooperation and competition are essential elements of the behavioral policy of higher education institutions.