Abstract
The development of digital technologies in the economic and social spheres has transformed the requirements for higher education graduates and increased demand for interdisciplinary digital competencies. At the same time, local solutions implemented by individual universities do not always ensure alignment between educational content and the practical needs of professional environments, which highlights the importance of interuniversity coordination mechanisms. This article examines interuniversity mechanisms for the formation of digital competencies based on a STEM-oriented educational ecosystem in digital medicine, implemented within the joint «ITMedicine» program of Abylkas Saginov Karaganda Technical University and Karaganda Medical University. The objective of the study is to identify institutional mechanisms of interuniversity interaction and to determine their role in aligning educational programs with professional requirements. The research is grounded in the ecosystem approach and an institutional-analytical interpretation of data obtained from an expert survey of employers (n = 35) and university instructors (n = 70); respondents were allowed to select multiple answer options. A SWOT analysis was applied to systematize factors influencing the sustainability of the interuniversity model. The findings demonstrate that the sustainability of digital competency formation depends not only on curricular updates but also on institutionally embedded coordination mechanisms, including alignment of curricula and competency matrices, distribution of responsibilities between universities, and integration of employers into practice-oriented training formats. The conclusions may be used in designing interuniversity programs and developing network-based coordination mechanisms in higher education systems, including the adaptation of similar models in the Russian context.