THE IMPACT OF LACK OF COOPERATION BETWEEN MUNICIPALITIES AND ACADEMIC ORGANIZATIONS ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN SLOVAKIA

The paper deals with the issue of human resources as the important factor of territorial and economic development. The aim of the paper is to characterize the situation in the field of human resources as a key factor of territorial development and its development by universities in the Slovak regions as a potential competitive area, to identify the problem areas and highlight the important role of universities in the context of territorial development based on internal resources. The theoretical part defines the role of human resources in the process of competitive advantage creation, its importance especially in relations with the universities and research institutions by methods of scientific abstraction, synthesis and analysis. The analysis of the paper draws from the outputs of secondary research and selected results of primary research. Firstly, a questionnaire survey in the local municipalities of Slovak Republic was conducted, and then structured interviews were realized with the managers of regional self-governments. The research results aimed on theoretical aspects of exploring issue were gained through questionnaire survey in the form of Delphi method realized with the experts in the research field. The description method, deduction, synthesis and analysis, and the statistical apparatus were applied. The final section contains a list of the proposals, which implementation would contribute to develop the quality human resources in Slovak regions. Slovakia has good prepositions for building creative economy and industries based on the skilled and educated human resources, what can initiate the creation and use of further competitive advantages.