Developing Science Parks: Global Experience and Possible Guidelines for the Donbas Region’s Innovative Economic Recovery

For many years, the technological deterioration of physical assets, the high energy intensity of production, structural imbalance of the industrial complex, and related complex technogenic and ecological situation, which today already carries systemic threats, remained acute problems for Donbass. The conflict in eastern Ukraine has exposed these problems, made them admit that without the introduction of advanced technologies and effective management solutions, it will hardly be possible to revive the economic potential of the region on a qualitatively new basis. The paper concentrates on the search for opportunities to mitigate and eliminate the impact of the challenges existing in Donbass, implement the restructuring of the region's economy by using the tool of science parks. The practicality of organizing and financing science parks is now being worked out by the Ministry of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine within the Strategy of Economic Development of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions until 2030. The experience of other countries of the world regarding the goals and methods of creation, element composition, specialization, construction cost and the effectiveness of the activities of scientific parks with the aim of using it in the regeneration of Donetsk and Lugansk regions has been studied. The article reflects the experience of the USA (in particular, the Silicon Valley and Research Triangle Park science parks); Ireland (Wyeth Biopharma Science Park); Germany (Rhein Elbe Science Park); Poland (Poznan Science and Technology Park, Park Naukowo – Technologiczny «Technopark Gliwice», Science and Technology Park Poland-East in Suwałki). Based on the results of the analysis, it was determined that the cost of building science parks in these countries ranges from USD 35-60 million (Poland) to USD 3-5 billion (United States of America). Particular attention is paid to the features of the architectural and planning organization of science parks abroad and in Ukraine. The design proposals of scientific parks, developed for Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv, are presented as model guidelines for use in Donbass. Building on the results of the study of world experience, as well as project proposals for its implementation in Ukraine, it was concluded that the creation of science parks in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions can be considered as an effective tool for innovative renewal and structural restructuring of the regional economy. To enhance the influence of science parks on innovation processes in the studied regions and Ukraine as a whole, proposals were made to amend and supplement the laws of Ukraine "On Science Parks", "On Amendments to Certain Laws of Ukraine Regarding the Activation of Science Parks." The results of the study can be used by the government and the relevant ministry of Ukraine when justifying the choice of models for future science parks in Donbass, their location, specialization, and construction costs.