Global Challenges of the 21st Century and Possible University’s Answer

The new century has brought new challenges and threats that the mankind should cope with if it wants to survive. The authors emphasized among them the three most considerable, such as 1) Healthcare and quality of life – human lifespan, environment deterioration, especially in the cities, early mortality, poverty and corruption; 2) Safety – a threat of war, ecological disasters and climate change, religious and ethnic conflicts, terrorism, economic safety related to modernization of the resource based economy, corruption, globalization of the world economy, migration of population; 3) Resources and their scarcity – demand for new types of energy and energy efficient materials, pure drinking water, food problems, intensification of the housing and road construction. The world leading universities aim at solving the most urgent global challenges through R&D projects and education. One of the effective answer for the global challenges is the idea of integrative educational programs which can merge most important knowledge and skills from the ecology, technology, natural and social sciences, business and management into engineering education. Chemical engineering as one of the most effective instruments for solving global problems through providing high-tech solutions for healthcare, development of new materials, safety and the problems of energy and resource scarcity. Using benchmarking methodology the authors studied the main principles of making effective strategy of university’s development in the contemporary world. The case of Kazan National Research Technological University is in the focus of their attention. Of course the attempts of redesigning of traditional university format are facing with resistance. Therefore the tools of change management are also specified.