How to Increase the Readiness of Ukraine’s Industry to Smart Transformations

Abstract

Introduction. Accelerated development of the smart industry based on the use of modern cyber-physical technologies, is the worldwide dominant trend that will determine the competitive positions of national economies in the upcoming years. 
Problem Statement. Ukraine needs to improve its readiness for accelerated development of the smart industry (industry 4.0), insofar as its conventional industry undergoes a crisis, while the new smart industry has not yet received due attention from the government.
Purpose. To substantiate the measures for improving the readiness of the national industry for smart transformations in accordance with the current world trends in the development of cyber-physical production ecosystems.
Materials and Methods. Comparing the ratings of Ukraine, some other countries, and the world as a whole by the groups of indicators "institutions", "technologies," and "economy" characterizing the readiness of the industry for smart transformations.
Results. The industry of Ukraine has been established to retain, at least partially, its productive and innovative capabilities. The situation with the quality of basic economic institutions is more problematic. The toughest problems are a low overall level of the domestic economy development, and an unacceptable backlog in the development of R&D due to insufficient funding because of weak business demand for R&D products.
Conclusions. In the complex of measures to improve the readiness of Ukrainian industry for smart transformations, the greatest attention should be paid to increasing the business demand for R&D products. This requires transforming the short horizon of business planning, because of adverse influence of political cycle, to the long one by creating long-term development institutions based on the principles of independent regulatory agencies.