THE HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM'S ROLE IN THE INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT OF THE WORLD’S COUNTRIES AND UKRAINE
Abstract
The country’s innovation potential is one of the factors contributing towards improving its socioeconomic performance and outcomes. The goal of the article is to investigate the role of higher education institutions in the innovative development of Ukraine by assessing its educational-industry activity index, which is composed of education potential, research-educational activity, and industrial influence subindices. The empirical foundation of the study lies in the World Bank database, from which relevant parameters for 28 EU and candidate countries, including Ukraine, over the period of 2010-2024 were retrieved. The analysis has shown the existence of four clusters as confirmed by the results of analysis of variance: countries with high education potential, medium research-educational activity, and low industry influence; export-oriented, industrial countries; countries with significantly higher research-educational activity values and medium levels of other subindices; countries with high educational potential but significantly lower industry and research-educational indices. Additionally, correlation analysis has demonstrated a substantial statistically significant positive relationship between educational-industry activity index and GDP per capita, which further confirms the role of education-industry collaboration in improving economic outcomes and aligns with the general findings of similar studies. Based on the analysis results, Ukraine was attributed to the fourth cluster, which suggests that its level of collaboration between higher education institutions and industry sector, as well as the ability of industrial companies to utilize produced research knowledge may not be sufficient for achieving high levels of innovative development. The educational potential of Ukraine is especially present in high teaching staff and student density, as well as in a high share of graduates in engineering, machinery, and construction. The practical value of the study lies in providing empirical insights for assessing industry-education relationships in Ukraine, which is relevant for developing recommendations and government policies.
References
Broughel J., Thierer A. D. Technological innovation and economic growth: a brief report on the evidence. SSRN electronic journal. 2019. URL: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3346495.
Castellacci F. Innovation and social welfare: a new research agenda. Journal of economic surveys. 2023. Vol. 37, no. 4. P. 1156–1191. URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12537.
Compagnucci L., Spigarelli F. The Third Mission of the university: a systematic literature review on potentials and constraints. Technological forecasting and social change. 2020. Vol. 161. P. 120284. URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120284.
Zenkienė L., Leišytė L. Strengthening university capacity in regional innovation ecosystem through the participation in the European Universities initiative. European journal of higher education. 2024. Vol. 14, sup1. P. 88–108. URL: https://doi.org/10.1080/21568235.2024.2410358.
Fedak V., Hudak R., Jakab F. Best practice for boosting innovation in the HEI through the initiative of European university alliances. 2022 20th international conference on emerging elearning technologies and applications (ICETA). Stary Smokovec, Slovakia, 2022. P. 153–158. URL: https://doi.org/10.1109/ICETA57911.2022.9974895.
Kozirog K., Lucaci S.-M., Berghmans S. Universities as key drivers of sustainable innovation ecosystems. Results of the EUA survey on universities and innovation, european university association. 2022. Т. 8. С. 2022. URL: https://eua.eu/downloads/publications/innovation%20report.pdf (дата звернення: 10.02.2026).
Evaluation of R&D and innovation policy in Ukraine: missing elements / Institute for Economics and Forecasting NAS of Ukraine et al. Fteval JOURNAL for research and technology policy evaluation. 2025. No. 57. URL: https://doi.org/10.22163/fteval.2025.709.
The management of innovation processes in higher education institutions of Ukraine on the way to the formation and development of the European knowledge market / Z. Makarov et al. Revista romaneasca pentru educatie multidimensionala. 2023. Vol. 15, no. 4. P. 132–158. URL: https://doi.org/10.18662/rrem/15.4/785.
Assessing the impact of higher education competitiveness on the level of socio-economic development of a country / Y. Chentukov et al. Problems and perspectives in management. 2021. Vol. 19, no. 2. P. 370–383. URL: https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.19(2).2021.30.
Romanovskyi O., Romanovska Y., Romanovska O. The influence of innovatics of higher education and science on the formation of a knowledge society in Ukraine. Baltic journal of economic studies. 2024. Vol. 10, no. 4. P. 331–342. URL: https://doi.org/10.30525/2256-0742/2024-10-4-331-342.
The contribution of higher education to innovation development: long-term and short-term analysis / K. Szczepanska-Woszczyna et al. Forum scientiae oeconomia. 2024. Vol. 12, no. 4. P. 8–28. URL: https://doi.org/10.23762/FSO_VOL12_NO4_1.
Li D., Sun X., Li T. Promoting global sustainable development: spatial spillover effects of higher education on economic and ecological sustainability. Discover sustainability. 2025. Vol. 6, no. 1. P. 266. URL: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01009-y.
Liang Q., Yin F. Spatiotemporal coupling relationship between higher education and economic development in china: based on interprovincial panel data from 2012 to 2023. Sustainability. 2024. Vol. 16, no. 16. P. 7198. URL: https://doi.org/10.3390/su16167198.
Seppo M., Lilles A. Indicators measuring university-industry cooperation. Discussions on Estonian economic policy. 2012. Vol. 20, no. 1. P. 204.
Tijssen R. J. Universities and industrially relevant science: towards measurement models and indicators of entrepreneurial orientation. Research policy. 2006. Vol. 35, no. 10. P. 1569–1585. URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2006.09.025.
DataBank. URL: https://databank.worldbank.org/ (дата звернення: 05.02.2026).
Broughel, J., & Thierer, A. D. (2019). Technological innovation and economic growth: A brief report on the evidence. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3346495
Castellacci, F. (2023). Innovation and social welfare: A new research agenda. Journal of Economic Surveys, 37(4), 1156–1191. https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12537
Compagnucci, L., & Spigarelli, F. (2020). The Third Mission of the university: A systematic literature review on potentials and constraints. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 161, 120284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120284
Zenkienė, L., & Leišytė, L. (2024). Strengthening university capacity in regional innovation ecosystem through the participation in the European Universities initiative. European Journal of Higher Education, 14(sup1), 88–108. https://doi.org/10.1080/21568235.2024.2410358
Fedak, V., Hudak, R., & Jakab, F. (2022). Best practice for boosting innovation in the HEI through the initiative of European university alliances. У 2022 20th international conference on emerging elearning technologies and applications (ICETA) (с. 153–158). IEEE. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICETA57911.2022.9974895
Kozirog, K., Lucaci, S.-M., & Berghmans, S. (2022). Universities as key drivers of sustainable innovation ecosystems. Results of the EUA Survey on Universities and Innovation, European University Association, 8, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2026 from https://eua.eu/downloads/publications/innovation%20report.pdf
Institute for Economics and Forecasting NAS of Ukraine, Gryga, V., Krasovska, O., & Ryzhkova, Y. (2025). Evaluation of R&D and innovation policy in Ukraine: Missing elements. Fteval JOURNAL for Research and Technology Policy Evaluation, (57). https://doi.org/10.22163/fteval.2025.709
Makarov, Z., Ovsiankina, L., Tokuieva, N., Shevchenko, S., Zagorodnya, A., & Tadeush, O. (2023). The management of innovation processes in higher education institutions of Ukraine on the way to the formation and development of the European knowledge market. Revista romaneasca pentru educatie multidimensionala, 15(4), 132–158. https://doi.org/10.18662/rrem/15.4/785
Chentukov, Y., Omelchenko, V., Zakharova, O., & Nikolenko, T. (2021). Assessing the impact of higher education competitiveness on the level of socio-economic development of a country. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 19(2), 370–383. https://doi.org/10.21511/ppm.19(2).2021.30
Romanovskyi, O., Romanovska, Y., & Romanovska, O. (2024). The influence of innovatics of higher education and science on the formation of a knowledge society in Ukraine. Baltic Journal of Economic Studies, 10(4), 331–342. https://doi.org/10.30525/2256-0742/2024-10-4-331-342
Szczepanska-Woszczyna, K., Lyulyov, O., Pimonenko, T., Infante-Moro, A., Zimbroff, A., & Solodovnikov, S. (2024). The contribution of higher education to innovation development: Long-term and short-term analysis. Forum scientiae oeconomia, 12(4), 8–28. https://doi.org/10.23762/FSO_VOL12_NO4_1
Li, D., Sun, X., & Li, T. (2025). Promoting global sustainable development: Spatial spillover effects of higher education on economic and ecological sustainability. Discover Sustainability, 6(1), 266. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01009-y
Liang, Q., & Yin, F. (2024). Spatiotemporal coupling relationship between higher education and economic development in China: Based on interprovincial panel data from 2012 to 2023. Sustainability, 16(16), 7198. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16167198
Seppo, M., & Lilles, A. (2012). Indicators measuring university-industry cooperation. Discussions on Estonian Economic Policy, 20(1), 204.
Tijssen, R. J. (2006). Universities and industrially relevant science: Towards measurement models and indicators of entrepreneurial orientation. Research Policy, 35(10), 1569–1585. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2006.09.025
DataBank. Retrieved February 5, 2026 from https://databank.worldbank.org/
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
