Article

Cross-border innovation clusters as a tool for sustainable development of territorial communities: Management and legal aspects

Henriett Karolyi Daria Ivashchenko Volodymyr Podibka Myroslav Zhdankevych Oleksandr Khotskyi
Abstract

The relevance of the study is due to the need to find effective tools for ensuring sustainable development of territorial communities, in particular in the context of European integration and the growing role of cross-border cooperation. The aim of the article was to study the management and legal aspects of the formation and functioning of cross-border innovation clusters as a tool for stimulating regional development. The methodological basis was an interdisciplinary approach using comparative, institutional analysis and the case study method. As a result of the study, it was established that cross-border innovation clusters act as an effective mechanism for integrating economic, innovative and social resources of border territories, ensuring the formation of network interactions between business, science, and government. An analysis of European experience showed that the success is based on a combination of institutional support, a developed regulatory framework and the active participation of public administration bodies. The generalisation of practical cases made it possible to identify the key effects of cross-border projects, in particular economic, innovative, infrastructural, social and institutional. At the same time, it was established that in Ukraine the majority of cross-border cluster initiatives are of a project-based nature and are not transformed into stable institutional structures, which limits the long-term impact. It was revealed that the main restraining factors are the fragmentation of legal regulation, insufficient coordination between institutions and limited financial resources. The need to develop effective management mechanisms, harmonisation of the regulatory framework and strengthening the participation of territorial communities in international cooperation programmes is substantiated. The practical value of the study lies in the possibility of using the obtained results to improve state regional policy and form effective models of management of cross-border cluster initiatives

Keywords

regional investment policy; cross-border cooperation; Euroregions; innovation ecosystems; legal regulation

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Received 19.01.2026, Revised 20.04.2026, Accepted 28.05.2026 Published 25.06.2026

Retrieved from Volume 19, No. 1, 2026

Suggested citation

Karolyi, H., Ivashchenko, D., Podibka, V., Zhdankevych, M., & Khotskyi, O. (2026). Cross-border innovation clusters as a tool for sustainable development of territorial communities: Management and legal aspects. Democratic Governance, 19(1), 33-45. https://doi.org/10.56318/dg/1.2026.33

https://doi.org/10.56318/dg/1.2026.33

Pages 33-45

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