Assessment of the readiness of agrarian enterprises to implement innovative projects

Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the results of the assessment and analysis of trends, the current state and sectoral features of the readiness of agrarian enterprises of various sizes to implement and manage innovative projects. Methodology / approach. This study uses the following methods: bibliometric and cluster analysis using the VOSviewer program – to determine the status and clustering of studies based on the Scopus database; statistical methods of data normalization (by the range of variation, relative to the standard, using the sigmoid function) – for assessing the readiness of agrarian enterprises to implement and manage innovative projects; correlation analysis – to identify the degree of coincidence of results calculated by different methods of data normalization; mathematical alignment of dynamic series – to determine trends of change and predict the readiness of enterprises to implement innovative projects; descriptive statistics and graphical – for a visual representation of the obtained results; monographic and abstract-logical – to generalize the evaluation results. The empirical basis of the study was data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine and data from 46 agrarian enterprises of the Kharkiv region. Results. Approbation of the methodology for determining the readiness of agrarian enterprises to implement and manage innovative projects confirmed the practical suitability of its application, made it possible to compare the results calculated by different methods of data normalization, and also made it possible to identify and analyze the actual level and dynamics of the indicated readiness. If current trends continue, it is predicted that the integrated indicator of readiness of Ukrainian enterprises will increase in 2025 to 81.5 points in the field of crop production, and to 54.9 points in the field of livestock production. In general, in the agricultural sector and in animal husbandry, in particular, large enterprises had a higher integral indicator of readiness for the implementation of innovative projects than medium and small enterprises, and medium enterprises are characterized by relatively lower readiness. In crop production, small enterprises were distinguished by a relatively higher level of readiness, the second position was occupied by large ones, but the differences between them were not as significant as in livestock production. A very low and low level of readiness for the implementation of innovative projects and their management is inherent in the vast majority of the studied agrarian enterprises of the Kharkiv region, and therefore needs to be improved. Originality / scientific novelty. For the first time, the readiness of agrarian enterprises to implement innovative projects and their management was evaluated, which made it possible to identify the trends, current state, and industry specifics of this readiness in general and in terms of large, medium, small, including micro-enterprises. Methodological provisions on assessing the readiness of agrarian enterprises to implement and manage innovative projects was further developed in terms of comparing assessments obtained using different methods of data standardization. Practical value / implications. The results of the research can be used for (i) improving the policy on improving the readiness for the implementation of innovative projects and their management, taking into account industry characteristics and the size of enterprises in the agrarian sector; (ii) assessment of reserves for improving the indicated readiness and forecasting its level, taking into account the possible increase of regulated factors; (iii) adoption by managers of agrarian enterprises of managerial decisions on increasing their readiness for the implementation of innovative projects and their management.