EFFICIENCY OF SCIENTIFIC AND INNOVATIVE ACTIVITY OF UKRAINIAN UNIVERSITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF FINANCIAL POTENTIAL REALIZATION AND ACADEMIC REPUTATION

Abstract

The main features of the modern educational and scientific space are the rapid realization of knowledge, the ability to effectively operate scientific results, the development of new technologies and their spread in the world, the competition for intellectual and financial resources. Under such conditions, the ability of universities not only to disseminate but also to create new knowledge through research, to ensure their social and economic efficiency, are the main criteria of global competitiveness. Transforming the domestic science, education and production, defining strategic guidelines for innovative development, ensuring economic growth and the most effective distribution of available resources, especially through the improvement of the universities efficiency in the context of their intellectual, financial potential and academic reputation realization are important tasks of the state on the way to building a competitive national economy.
The purpose of the article is to identify and evaluate the relationship between the results of research activities at Ukrainian universities, their financial potential and academic reputation. In accordance with the objectives, the article describes the existing sources and organization of academic research financing at Ukrainian state higher education institutions (HEIs), the scientific and innovative activity efficiency indicators are systematized, the comparative analysis of results of research work of universities of Ukraine taking into account sources and volumes of their financing is carried out and the interrelation between these indicators of scientific and innovative activity is estimated. The object of the study are the classical universities of Ukraine, which occupy leading positions in the national rankings of HEIs, in particular the ranking of universities according to Scopus.
Analyzing with the help of information posted on the websites of the HEIs, the sample indicators of scientific and innovative activities of universities, their staffing and financial support, it was found that not always the scale of HEIs in its quantitative dimension affects efficiency. The analysis showed that there is no direct relationship between the financial potential of universities and the achievement of the highest scientific results. Thus, the amount of funding for scientific activities has a significant impact on the level of achievement of HEIs and its employees, but is not always used effectively. Important in the market environment is effective financial management, diversification of funding sources, targeted use of financial resources provided for research and innovation of universities, which in globalization allows to ensure a high level of research, an important place of Ukrainian universities in world science and international rankings, their competitiveness, among others, as well as the innovative development of the country as a whole.