International Cooperation through Academic Projects: Are There Any Future Prospects?

Today, international academic cooperation of universities is going through a tough period due to political and economic challenges. The authors consider the main causes of this and show how the situation could be improved through the development of local academic programs, such as LEADER Project. This joint educational project, focused on entrepreneurship and management skills, is arranged by Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario (Canada). The program has 11 years of positive experience at Baikal State University in Irkutsk and it has proved to be successful and viable. The article provides analysis of the projects strengths and the main components of its success. Attention is also drawn to the specific features and potential advantages of using the case method as a modern teaching procedure, as well as to the innovative format of the project and its mutually beneficial character. The authors analyze the results of a feedback survey of the participants and instructors in order to find out their takeaways from the project, its possible drawbacks and future development prospects. The key conclusions refer to the importance of retaining international academic contacts.