The Development of Ukrainian Universities in the Context of Modern World Trends

Abstract

The article provides a thorough overview of the implementation of modern concepts of universities in Ukraine against the background of global trends and internal obstacles to the development of higher education. The relevance of the topic is determined by the fact that modern innovative economy critically depends on the quality of the country’s scientific and educational potential, concentrated in universities. The dramatic events of recent years in Ukraine require a rethinking of the current state and future orientations of domestic universities. Legislative and regulatory acts of Ukraine, statistical data of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, information and analytical materials of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, SCImago Institutions Rankings SIR rating indicators, scientific works of Ukrainian and foreign scientists served the information base of the research. The external and internal factors that determined the evolution of the system of higher education in independent Ukraine are revealed, as well as the dynamics of its main indicators. It is shown that the increase in number of universities, as well as changes in higher education system related to integration into the world and European area are the characteristic trends in Ukraine since acquiring independence in 1991. The analysis of the representation of higher education institutions (HEIs) of Ukraine in the SCImago IR rating for 2009 and 2024 showed positive changes – quantitative (increase in the number of HEIs included in the rating) and qualitative (increase in the share of HEIs in the total number of domestic scientific institutions included in the rating). The models of the research university and the entrepreneurial university, the possibilities of their implementation in Ukraine and the obstacles on this path were considered. It is noted that the “old” state universities of Ukraine (Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National Uni-versity, etc.) have met certain criteria for inclusion in the category of both research and entrepreneurial universities from the beginning due to high indicators of publication activity, developed contractual relations with economic entities and others. The experience of adapting these models is considered on the example of Kyiv Academic University (KAU). It was concluded that the case of KAU is interesting for specialists and de-serves attention, study and dissemination. The indisputable advantage of this organization is the intention to combine the educational, research, entrepreneurial (innovative) and social functions of the university, and its disadvantage is a large thematic diversity of departments and specialties, as well as a small contingent of students.