Innovative Activity of Enterprises: Conceptual Basis and Theoretical Approaches

In the current conditions of globalization, digital transformation and increased competition, innovative activity is of key importance for ensuring sustainable development of enterprises. It becomes especially relevant in times of crisis – economic instability, military operations, changing consumer needs and accelerated development of technologies. Innovations are not only a tool for updating production processes, but also a mechanism for increasing competitiveness, reducing costs, creating new products and entering foreign markets. For Ukrainian enterprises, innovativeness is a means of overcoming structural limitations, modernizing fixed assets, increasing management efficiency and adapting to European standards. At the same time, the level of innovative activity in Ukraine remains low, which requires rethinking development strategies, activating public-private partnerships, increasing investments in research and development and human resources. Thus, the study of theoretical, methodological and applied aspects of innovative activity of enterprises is extremely relevant from the point of view of forming an effective model of economic growth and increasing national competitiveness. The article examines the theoretical and methodological foundations of innovative activity of enterprises, which in conditions of high competition, digital transformation and instability of the external environment acts as a key factor in their strategic development. The leading scientific approaches to determining the essence of innovative activity, such as resource, process, systemic and strategic, are analyzed. The conceptual foundations of innovative development are outlined, covering the principles of systematicity, scientific validity, market orientation, strategic direction and institutional support. The current problems of the institutional environment of innovative activity in Ukraine are considered, including insufficient regulatory and legal support, weak investment support and low efficiency of commercialization. The prospects for activating innovative development by improving education, digitalization, public-private partnership and integration into the international scientific space are substantiated.