Innovative Development of Ukraine and the European Union: A Comparative Analysis and Directions of State Policy

Abstract

The article presents a comparative analysis of the innovation development of Ukraine and the European Union as a precondition for shaping an effective state innovation policy in the context of European integration and the post-war recovery of the national economy on the basis of high-tech growth. The purpose of the article is a comprehensive comparison of the innovation systems of Ukraine and the EU across the quantitative, legal, institutional and strategic dimensions, and, on this basis, the substantiation of priority directions of public policy. Methods of comparative, statistical and structural-logical analysis are used. It is established that the intensity of R&D expenditure in Ukraine (about 0.33% of GDP) is almost seven times lower than the EU average (about 2.2% of GDP), while, according to the European Innovation Scoreboard 2025 methodology, Ukraine belongs to the group of emerging innovators, performing below 70% of the EU average. It is proved that the gap between the innovation systems of Ukraine and the EU is systemic rather than fragmentary and covers the obsolescence of the basic legislation, the absence of a single centre of innovation policy formulation, the lack of technology-scaling infrastructure (Pilot Plants, FOAK), and the non-integration of innovation and industrial strategies. A set of policy measures is substantiated along three directions — to adopt (legal acts), to create (institutions) and to develop (strategies) — the implementation of which would allow forming a unified national innovation development system of Ukraine, approximated to the European model. The results of the study can be used by public authorities in developing legislative and strategic documents in the field of innovation policy.