Discussion
Ukraine’s higher education system is undergoing an unprecedented transformation as universities confront war-related disruptions while striving to align with European standards and global innovation trends. In this context, universities are no longer limited to their traditional teaching and research roles — they are becoming catalysts of innovative leadership, resilience, and open collaboration. This study examines how open innovation and innovative leadership can jointly accelerate the transformation of Ukrainian universities into dynamic, future-oriented ecosystems that generate new skills, ideas, and opportunities.
The research is grounded in the theories of Open Innovation (Chesbrough, 2003), Innovative Leadership, and the Collective Edge, which view leadership as a shared capacity that emerges through collaboration among students, faculty, and industry partners. The study draws on original empirical research conducted across several Ukrainian universities, focusing on how academic institutions adapt to new demands of innovation, partnership, and digital transformation. It explores the evolving culture of leadership and the ways in which universities foster innovation, develop future-oriented skills, and strengthen collaboration with business and society to build resilient educational ecosystems.
The empirical research, conducted across several Ukrainian universities actively engaged in entrepreneurship education, startup competitions, and business partnerships, aims to identify skills gaps between university graduates and industry expectations. Special attention is given to the integration of artificial intelligence and digital tools in teaching, leadership, and innovation management. The project also explores how informal learning (the hidden curriculum), mentoring, and collaboration with business foster an innovative mindset among students and academic staff.
Preliminary findings suggest that universities with a strong leadership vision and an open innovation culture demonstrate greater collaboration, experimentation, and student engagement, even under the constraints of crisis and uncertainty. The study will offer practical recommendations for strengthening the innovation capacity of Ukrainian higher education through leadership development, cross-sector partnerships, and the institutionalisation of open innovation. By focusing on Ukraine’s reality — where higher education operates amid the challenges of a war economy and the ambitions of post-war recovery — this research reveals how universities can become engines of resilience and renewal. It reimagines their mission: not as traditional transmitters of knowledge, but as proactive mediators between education, business, and society, capable of nurturing innovative leaders who drive reconstruction, social cohesion, and sustainable growth in the decade ahead.
