SMART-SPECIALIZATION OF UKRAINE IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF POST-WAR RECOVERY

Improving the standard of living and the quality of the population in a certain territory is one of the most important tasks of regional authorities, and for its implementation in practice, all conditions must be created, all tools must be involved and all opportunities must be used. This becomes especially relevant in the conditions of the war and after its end, when all efforts will be directed to the reconstruction of the state. The implementation of this is possible only as a result of close interaction between all areas of the region's economy and all participants of the regional economy, which can be ensured through the introduction of a new regional management tool for the international economy — smart-specialization. The article briefly describes the formation of the concept of smart specialization in Europe, and defines its essence. A chronological retrospective was conducted regarding the beginning of the concept's use in domestic practice. The directions of smart specialization in the pre-war period are analyzed, key achievements are outlined. The relationship between the pandemic of the corona virus infection COVID-19, a full-scale war with the Russian Federation and trends in the field of smart specialization has been established. The tasks that will be assigned to the Ministry of Regional Development regarding the implementation of the concept in Ukraine in the post-war period have been defined. The essence of the process of entrepreneurial discovery is established and the practical mechanisms of its implementation are reflected. The stages of forming a regional policy of smart specialization are summarized: creation of a coordinating group, development of a road map, prioritization of projects, direct implementation. The main problems that inhibit the completion of the process of smart specialization of regions in Ukraine are identified, namely: the vagueness of management processes, the inefficiency of project leaders, the low quality of analytical data, the lack of an established communication network, the incompleteness of the process of entrepreneurial discovery, as one of the key elements for the transition to a new level of specialization. Possibilities of applying smart-specialization for the post-war recovery of Ukraine have been determined.