THE ROLE OF ENTREPRENEURIAL UNIVERSITIES IN ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF UKRAINE AND SLOVAKIA

Abstract

The article examines the role of entrepreneurial universities in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through a comparative analysis of Ukraine and Slovakia. It is argued that in contemporary conditions an entrepreneurial university should be viewed not only as an educational and research institution, but also as an active actor of innovation, social change, regional development, and economic transformation. The purpose of the study is to identify the specific features of the contribution made by entrepreneurial universities to sustainable development in the Ukrainian and Slovak contexts. The research is based on comparative, systemic, analytical, and generalization methods. The paper demonstrates that in Ukraine the entrepreneurial university is mainly interpreted as an institutional mechanism for higher education modernization, knowledge commercialization, startup support, innovation infrastructure development, and economic recovery under conditions of crisis and post-war transformation. In Slovakia, the major emphasis is placed on the formation of entrepreneurial competences, sustainable entrepreneurship, environmental awareness, and socially responsible attitudes among students. On the basis of the analysis of scholarly sources, the authors propose an original approach to assessing the contribution of entrepreneurial universities to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. This approach includes four interrelated dimensions: institutional and managerial, innovation and infrastructural, educational and competence-based, and adaptive and stabilization-oriented. It is substantiated that the combination of these dimensions makes it possible to interpret the entrepreneurial university as an integrated model that promotes human capital development, innovation ecosystems, social resilience, regional cooperation, and environmental responsibility. The findings may be used to improve higher education policy and strengthen the strategic role of universities in ensuring sustainable development in the context of contemporary societal challenges.