Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to foster research on an alternative design pattern for educational system (to emphasize symmetric connections with a range of actors) to achieve rapid and cost-effective strong sustainability by forming the clusters and entrepreneurial universities in economy. Design/methodology/approach - For the preparation of this paper, the authors reviewed the literature on education and science, sustainable development, sustainable science, clusters and systems. Data, reports and surveys (UNESCO, World Bank, World Economic Forum, etc) were analyzed in detail, to create a clear picture related to research topics. Findings - The role of education and science in solving the problems of sustainable development is critical. The system of education and science fails to meet modern challenges. The authors believe that it is desirable to start working on a different model. For this purpose, they have developed a new approach to connect clusters and alternative design pattern of education and science system for sustainable development. Originality/value - First, mutually beneficial effective circular system has been improved by offering an alternative design of the educational system to link it to the international educational and scientific programs. Second, the visible and invisible sides of the cluster are presented as a tree-shaped system. Third, invisible and visible connection between branch clusters and an alternative design pattern for educational system have been identified and presented as a system.
