Abstract
The article conducts a comprehensive analysis of the Global Innovation Index for Ukraine with a special emphasis on how innovative development affects the socio-economic efficiency of the country in the context of a full-scale war. The study is based on the data of this index for the period from 2020 to 2025 and allows you to trace changes in key indicators reflecting the state of the innovation ecosystem of Ukraine. Despite all the military challenges, Ukraine continues to maintain the status of a country that exceeds expectations in terms of the level of innovation relative to its gross domestic product per capita. This indicates the high resilience and adaptability of the Ukrainian innovation system, which is especially evident in the areas of knowledge creation, technological achievements and business sophistication. At the same time, the war has caused significant damage to the foundations of innovative development. Investment in research and development has been significantly reduced, and the infrastructure necessary to support scientific and technological activities has deteriorated significantly. Socio-economic risks have increased: labor productivity has practically ceased to grow, and the mass emigration of qualified specialists – the so-called brain drain – has become one of the most acute problems. These factors together create serious obstacles to the preservation and development of the country’s innovation potential. The results of the study show that innovations in wartime play the role of a kind of shock absorber: they help mitigate economic losses, support the export of services, maintain a certain level of creative and technological activity, and create new opportunities for business and society to adapt. At the same time, the war is blocking the full realization of this potential, exacerbating structural problems and making long-term recovery more difficult. The findings clearly indicate the need to significantly strengthen state policy in the field of innovation as one of the key areas of post-war recovery. Without a systematic increase in funding for science, creating conditions for the return of specialists, developing partnerships with European countries, digitalizing processes and supporting key sectors (including artificial intelligence, creative industries and defense technologies), Ukraine’s innovation potential will not be able to fully become a driving force for economic growth and social stability.
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