Socio-Economic Challenges and Threats to Economic Security for Higher Education Institutions

The article identifies the main challenges that Ukrainian higher education faced during the period of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. They are related to the destruction of the infrastructure of higher education institutions, internal human resources potential, reduction in higher education funding, the outflow of Ukrainian and foreign students from higher education institutions, ensuring academic integrity, and the risks of cyber threats to higher education institutions under martial law. A detailed analysis of the challenges and threats that directly affect the economic security of higher education institutions is conducted. The need to respond to them as soon as possible with appropriate measures to preserve higher education in Ukraine and increase its contribution to the socio-economic development of the country, its intellectual and professional potential is emphasized. The current problems that have become acute and have arisen in the higher education system of Ukraine are considered in the context of the rapid growth of the above-mentioned challenges. A comprehensive assessment of the factors of economic security of HEIs showed that their stability and ability to function in crisis conditions largely depend on: the flexibility of the financial model; strategic risk management; digital adaptability; human resource capacity; the level of integration into the international educational and scientific environment. Ways to reduce threats and increase the economic security of HEIs have been identified, which are justified in the following: development of models of financial stability of HEIs in conditions of unstable budget financing, including analysis of financial diversification instruments; formation of a system for monitoring and managing risks of economic security of HEIs based on digital technologies and forecasting tools; assessment of the impact of international academic mobility on the outflow of human capital, modeling scenarios of the return of students and teachers to Ukraine; research into the effectiveness of digitalization of the educational process in terms of the quality of knowledge, accessibility, security and costs; development of cyber protection strategies for educational institutions, including countering information and psychological influences and ensuring data integrity; studying the role of partnerships between higher education institutions, businesses and local communities in ensuring economic security and increasing the practical value of educational programs; analyzing the best European practices for ensuring economic security of higher education institutions in order to adapt them to Ukrainian realities.