Gorbachev inherited a higher education system starved of resources. However, under the major programme of reform that he has instituted to modernize the Soviet higher education system, the authorities after years of inaction now have a keen appreciation of the vital importance of higher education to the general Perestroika process. They are showing a willingness to adopt new ideas and an openness to the experience of the West. Many initiatives for links with industry have their direct parallels in the West, and it is possible that science parks may be established in the near future.
