Higher education (HE) institutions are institutions of higher education and science that implement study programmes and carry out scientific activities and engage in artistic creativity. 

There are the following types of higher education institutions: 

• universities of science, 
• universities of arts and culture, 
• universities of applied sciences and 
• higher education institutions of applied sciences. 

The founder of the HE institution determines the strategic specialization of the institution so that internationally recognized excellence and compliance with the needs and requirements of the society are achieved in the study and research activities of the HE institution in the selected fields of science. 

To ensure interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinary research development, universities of science must define at least three scientific fields in which they specialize. 

For a HE institution founded by the state, the Cabinet of Ministers determines the areas of strategic specialization based on the priorities of the policy planning cycle for the development of the national economy and society determined in the policy planning documents, considering the evaluation of the progress of the institution’s performance over the previous planning period and development potential. 

The Cabinet of Ministers also determines the procedure by which the strategic specialization of higher education institutions established by the state is determined.

(Source: Law on Higher Education Institutions)