SPECIFICITIES OF THE FORMATION AND STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT OF IT-SECTOR INNOVATION CLUSTERS IN THE CONTEXT OF MARTIAL LAW
Authors: SADOVSKYI Ievgen 
Published: December 2024

THE PURPOSE OF THE ARTICLE is to study the peculiarities of formation and stages of development of innovation clusters in the IT sphere under martial law, to identify possible obstacles faced by IT clusters during military conflicts, as well as ways to overcome them.
RESEARCH METHODS. The following special and general scientific methods were used in the article: socio-economic analysis, scenario analysis, SWOT analysis, expert assessments, monitoring and evaluation of results, tabular and graphical, induction and deduction, etc.
PRESENTING MAIN MATERIAL. The development of innovation clusters is one of the key drivers of economic growth in a globally competitive environment. Clusters bring together companies, research institutions and government agencies to jointly develop innovative solutions. Innovation clusters are important elements of the modern economy that stimulate technological progress and economic growth, which are formed on the basis of a concentration of interconnected enterprises, institutions and organisations that interact and support each other. Innovation clusters in the IT sector not only ensure technological progress but also create new economic opportunities. Economic, social, technological, and institutional factors are important factors in the formation and development of innovation clusters. In the context of martial law, when economic stability and access to resources become limited, innovation clusters must adapt to new challenges, ensuring not only development but also the sustainability and security of their members. The war started by Russia in 2022 and the introduction of martial law have dramatically changed the conditions for the development of IT clusters, where the main obstacles are security threats, displacement of personnel, limited access to finance, supply chain disruption, and reduced demand for IT services. Among the main factors influencing the process of forming innovation clusters in the IT sector, economic, social, technological and institutional factors were identified. The formation of innovation clusters in the IT sector includes the following stages: initiation and initial stage; infrastructure creation; development and consolidation; maturity stage and internationalisation. Thus, innovation clusters become a platform for developing products and solutions aimed at supporting government agencies and ensuring public safety. In particular, new approaches to data protection and communications are being developed in the IT sector, programmes are being created to coordinate humanitarian aid, and technologies for monitoring and forecasting crisis situations are being introduced.
CONCLUSIONS. In the context of martial law, innovation clusters face numerous challenges, but at the same time they demonstrate significant adaptability and ability to innovate. The process of formation and stages of development of innovation clusters in the IT sector is characterised by the main steps from initiation to international expansion, and requires the integration of various elements, such as infrastructure, innovation culture and cooperation with educational institutions. The successful formation and development of innovation clusters is critical to stimulating technological progress and increasing competitiveness at the global level, where further research in this area can help identify new approaches and strategies to support and develop innovation ecosystems. The main strategies to ensure the sustainability and further development of IT clusters were identified as the introduction of remote work, diversification of financing, creation of backup infrastructures, search for new markets and close cooperation with government agencies. Thus, martial law can stimulate the development of innovations in certain areas, such as cybersecurity, communications and information security, and IT clusters that are able to adapt to new realities can become key elements of national security and resilience under martial law.
KEYWORDS: innovation clusters; IT-sphere; formation and development; martial law; technological progress; integration; infrastructure; strategy; security; economic stability.