Selinnyi Mykhailo, PhD in Economic Sciences, Associate Professor, Chernihiv Polytechnic National University, Chernihiv, Ukraine

ORCID: 0000-0001-5682-7099
e-mail: m.seliniy@stu.cn.ua

Danylevskyi Roman, PhD student, Chernihiv Polytechnic National University, Chernihiv, Ukraine

ORCID: 0009-0007-2022-3155
e-mail: romaskadarv@ukr.net

Diagnostics of Innovative Activity of Enterprises in the Sugar Industry

Abstract. Introduction. In the current context of global economic turbulence and the full-scale war in Ukraine, the sugar industry, as a strategic component of the agro-industrial complex, faces unprecedented challenges. Disruptions in supply chains, volatile energy prices, infrastructure destruction, and labor shortages require enterprises to fundamentally revise their management strategies and operational approaches. Under these conditions, innovation is transforming from a competitive advantage into a prerequisite for survival and a means of maintaining export potential. The relevance of this study is driven by the need for a comprehensive assessment of the current state of innovation processes in the industry. Despite emerging signs of post-crisis recovery, the sector continues to lag significantly behind European technological standards.

Purpose. The purpose of this article is to conduct a structural and quantitative analysis of innovative activities in Ukrainian sugar enterprises and to identify key trends, barriers, and priority directions for the industry’s innovative development under current conditions.

Results. A comprehensive diagnostic assessment of innovative activity in Ukrainian sugar enterprises was conducted in the context of national economic transformation and full-scale war. The study confirms the strategic importance of the sugar industry in ensuring national food security and export potential and identifies innovation as a key factor in enhancing resilience and competitiveness. The analysis is based on official statistical data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine covering innovation activities in the sugar industry from 2020 to 2024. The dynamics of the number and share of innovatively active enterprises, the volume of innovative products, innovation expenditures, and funding sources were examined. The results indicate that the industry experienced a significant decline in innovative activity during 2021–2023, followed by a notable recovery in 2024, reflecting intensified modernization efforts and the adoption of new technologies. At the same time, the level of innovative activity in Ukrainian sugar enterprises remains substantially lower than that of EU countries. The dominance of internal funding sources continues to limit the potential for an innovative breakthrough. The study identifies key trends, barriers, and development priorities and substantiates the need to strengthen state support, technological modernization, digitalization, and cooperation between business and science to ensure the sustainable development of Ukraine’s sugar industry.

Conclusions. The Ukrainian sugar industry is currently entering a phase of gradual recovery and innovation; however, comprehensive transformation is required to achieve competitiveness in the EU market. Financial constraints, organizational and regulatory barriers, and technological lag have been identified as the main limiting factors. Strategic development priorities should include technological modernization, particularly in energy efficiency and bioenergy, digitalization of production processes and precision agriculture, enhanced state support through grant programs, and intensified collaboration between enterprises and research institutions. The implementation of these measures will contribute to deeper raw material processing, cost optimization, and the integration of the domestic sugar industry into the European economic space.

Keywords: sugar industry; innovative activity; innovations; modernization; competitiveness; sustainable development.

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