The strategy for enhancing the competitiveness of local communities in the Black Sea economic region based on innovation

The current economic development, characterised by accelerated globalisation, digitalisation, and transformation of social relations, poses new challenges for local communities, while opening up opportunities for their innovative development, which makes it critically important to develop adapted strategies to increase competitiveness in the context of decentralisation reform and structural transformations in Ukraine. The purpose of the article was to develop an innovative strategy to enhance the competitiveness of territorial communities in the Black Sea economic region. The limitations of the traditional “triple helix” model (“university-governmentbusiness”) for the Ukrainian context were analysed, and the necessity of implementing the “quadruple helix” approach, which includes civil society as a key element, are substantiated. An integrated innovation model consisting of five core components – innovation strategy, innovation ecosystem, innovation infrastructure, innovation culture, and innovation management system – was proposed. A comprehensive algorithm for implementing the innovation strategy, covering twelve sequential stages from comprehensive diagnostics to the institutionalisation of innovation activities, was presented. Special attention has been given to the development of territorial competence centres, mechanisms of adaptive strategic planning, and inter-territorial innovation alliances based on public-private partnerships. Specific proposals for implementing the innovation strategy in the short term (1-2 years) and long term (5-10 years), taking into account the unique characteristics of the region’s local communities, are outlined. The research results confirmed that successful implementation requires systematic coordination among stakeholders, leadership from local self-government bodies, and flexible responses to changes in the external environment. The proposed approach is shown to provide comprehensive solutions to challenges in the field of innovation-driven development through the integration of strategic planning, institutional development, and the practical execution of implemented measures