This paper deals with the risks of the development of higher education institutions in the context of changes occurring in Russian society. We believe that one of the attractors able to stabilize the process of the innovative socio-cultural development can be the higher education institution of a modern sample, which represents an integrated university system that combines the features of a classical university and the characteristics of modern higher education institution, i.e. educational institution technologically incorporated into the economy through the industrial associations, companies and its management structures established within its framework.