Vol. 12, No. 2, 2026

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The article is devoted to the conceptualization of scientific sovereignty as one of the key factors of national security amid geopolitical fragmentation and the crisis of the global neoliberal model of science organization. The aim of the study is to systematize theoretical approaches to defining scientific sovereignty and identify its structural components. To achieve this goal, the paper undertakes a critical analysis of the global academic architecture, a historical-genetic reconstruction of the evolution of science-state relations, and an identification of the key threats to intellectual independence.The methodological framework of the research comprises an interdisciplinary synthesis of Robert Merton’s classical sociology of science, Bruno Latour’s actor-network theory, Immanuel Wallerstein’s world-systems analysis, and the concepts of cognitive capitalism. This approach allows science to be examined as a complex social institution, a hierarchical global system, and a network of heterogeneous elements.As the main result, the authors propose an original definition of scientific sovereignty, understood as a state’s capacity to independently determine its science and technology development priorities, ensure the reproduction of its scientific potential, protect critical areas of research from external pressure, and participate in international scientific cooperation on an equal footing. A five-component structure of the phenomenon is identified and elaborated, encompassing the epistemological, technological, institutional, human capital, and informational components. For each component, diagnostic indicators are proposed, along with a four-step mechanism for applying the model in science and technology policy (audit, vulnerability mapping, development of strategic measures, monitoring).The theoretical significance of the work lies in shifting the discussion of scientific sovereignty from the realm of political rhetoric to that of operationalizable categories. Its practical significance stems from the proposed structural model, which can serve as a diagnostic tool for assessing vulnerabilities in national scientific systems and for formulating state science and technology policies.

The purpose of the study is to develop a new model of state support for the digital transformation of agriculture in Russia, which is focused not on fragmentary subsidies for the purchase of equipment and software, but on stimulating the formation of end-to-end digital value chains. The objectives of the study include analyzing the institutional limitations of existing state support mechanisms, justifying the need for a transition to an ecosystem approach where the state acts as the architect of the digital environment, and developing a set of institutional innovations, including industry-specific data exchange standards, a trusted environment for anonymized information exchange, and the priority development of telecommunications infrastructure. The research methodology is based on a systemic-institutional approach, methods of analyzing the regulatory framework, comparative analysis of international practices, and modeling of institutional interactions. The research results are presented in the form of a conceptual model of state support, which includes four key areas: regulatory and legal regulation of agro-data circulation, infrastructure support for digital connectivity, institutionalization of competence centers, and mechanisms for stimulating data cooperation. The scientific novelty lies in the integration of digital ecosystem management principles with agricultural policy tools, which helps to overcome the problem of “digital islands.” The practical significance of the work lies in the possibility of using the proposed model by the Russian Ministry of Agriculture and regional authorities to develop targeted support programs that involve the targeted allocation of funds from the federal and regional budgets (including through public-private partnership mechanisms) to small and medium-sized agricultural producers, scientific and consulting organizations, for connecting to high-speed digital infrastructure, integrating into industry-specific data marketplaces, and developing personnel competencies.

The study analyses the science and innovation impact on the on the world countries’ sustainable development managing process. The purpose of the study is to determine the strength and direction of the scientific and innovative activity indicators’ impact: the UN Sustainable Development Goal “Industry, innovation and infrastructure” achievement level; R&D expenditures and the specific number of patents filed on the UN counties’ sustainable development level. The study’s information base was the United Nations (reports on the sustainable development management goals achievement by country – The Sustainable Development Report) materials, the World Bank statistics (R&D expenditures from countries around the world), as well as the World Intellectual Property Organization data (data on patent applications from countries around the world). The regression analysis method is used to determine the strength and direction of these indicators’ impact on sustainable development and the correlation field is used to visualise the data. In accordance with this goal, three hypotheses were formulated about the impact of each of the above variables on the UN Sustainable Development Goals index. To test these hypotheses, regression models were constructed and the determination coefficients of the obtained models were calculated. According to the results of the study, the first hypothesis about the relationship between the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 9 “Industrialization, innovation and infrastructure” and the overall level of sustainable development management in the world has been confirmed. The other two hypotheses were adjusted because the models obtained for them were not suitable for predictive purposes. It is shown that the financial resources of innovation, expressed in terms of R&D expenditures, have a much lower impact on the sustainable development managing process than intellectual and human resources, expressed in terms of the countries’ patent activity indicator. In this regard, while ensuring the countries sustainable development, special attention should be paid to the human and intellectual resources development. At the same time, financial resources of scientific and innovative activities act as a tool for the practical implementation of scientific knowledge, technologies and innovative solutions.

The article proposes an integrated mechanism of knowledge development within the institutional framework of a scientific journal. Methodologically, the study is anchored on classical models of knowledge management and the concept of intellectual capital. These theoretical models allow conceptualizing the processes of knowledge transformation and development as different dimensions of a single institutional system. As a result, we construct a mechanism that links four modes of knowledge transformation, the processes of generation – codification – transfer, the strategies of codification and personalization, the stage of validation through peer review, and the accumulation of the structural capital of a scientific discipline or theory. The research highlights the following functions of the proposed mechanism: articulation of tacit research experience, combination and reconfiguration of knowledge, institutionalized validation of new knowledge, accumulation of discipline-related structural capital, as well as maintenance and development of the very discipline community. Among the limitations typical of the mechanism are the linearity of its basic architecture, the limited throughput of peer review, the economic asymmetry of access, and the commercial concentration of publishing. The results provide a conceptual framework for investigating editorial policies, designing research evaluation systems and next-generation knowledge management infrastructures.

Behavioral economics emerged as an independent field of economic science in the second half of the 20th century, significantly broadening the understanding of human economic behavior. Unlike traditional rational choice models, the behavioral approach examines the decision-making process by considering psychological, social, institutional, and cultural factors that influence the actions of economic agents within specific socio-economic contexts. The aim of this research is to conduct a retrospective analysis of the evolution of the behavioral paradigm concerning the development of various schools of economic thought, as well as a comparative analysis of the research methods. The methodological foundation of this work is based on the principles of institutional economic theory, the principle of historicism, and the methods of comparative analysis. The article examines the key stages in the development of behavioral economics, investigates the contributions of representatives from neoclassical synthesis, new institutionalism, and evolutionary economic theory to the advancement of the behavioral approach, and analyses the characteristics of applying behavioral models in the study of the labor market, unemployment, and public choice. It demonstrates that the evolution of behavioral economics has fostered the establishment of an interdisciplinary approach to the investigation of economic behavior and has solidified the behavioral paradigm as one of the leading directions in contemporary economic science.

The article examines the development of technological sovereignty and cultural security through the lens of personnel training in higher education and science. The objective of the present study is to explore the potential of higher education and scientific research to address the challenge of training personnel who can simultaneously ensure the state’s technological independence and its cultural identity. The present study is grounded in systemic, integrative, and sociocultural approaches. The argument presented herein is based on logical-structural analysis, which posits that the achievement of national sovereignty should be regarded as a multi-level process occurring at the intersection of technological, educational and cultural sovereignty. At this nexus, education integrates demands for technological power and cultural identity, thereby ensuring personnel reproduction, security and long-term sustainability. The functions of cultural security within the higher education and science systems focus are in focus. The function of meaning formation and ideology (the preservation function) endows personnel with an axiological dimension, thereby facilitating the achievement of technological sovereignty and preventing the “alienation” of specialists in favour of foreign interests. The protective (stabilizing) function selects the borrowed educational technologies and models that erode cultural identity. The potential of the scientific school as an institution of national sovereignty is demonstrated. This has capacity not only for achieving technological leadership through the transfer of scientific knowledge but also mechanisms for transmitting the cultural code, reproducing the bearers of the national scientific tradition. It has been determined that the absence of a value-semantic core in the reproduction of personnel within the systems of higher education and science is incongruent with national interests and serves to diminish the capacity for competition in the global pursuit of human capital.

Based on an analysis of contemporary Russian and international literature, as well as expert opinions, the study identifies key challenges and prospects for the development of project-based learning in higher education. The systematization of these challenges enabled the formulation of a hypothesis regarding the interest of students and faculty of Russian universities in the development of project-based learning. To test this hypothesis, a survey was conducted, the results of which confirmed a high level of interest among respondents and a predominance of positive attitudes toward project-based learning. A stable relationship was identified between participation in project-based activities and students’ value orientations, as well as a strong interest within the academic community in the implementation of interdisciplinary projects. The study уточняет and expands the set of challenges and development prospects for project-based learning in Russian higher education by specifying key implementation barriers (organizational, methodological, and motivational) and identifying priority development directions, including integration with the real sector of the economy. The theoretical contribution lies in the systematization of scholarly knowledge on project-based learning and the advancement of concepts related to higher education development and the economics of higher education. The practical significance of the study is associated with the potential application of its findings in curriculum design, the organization of teaching activities, and the development of university–industry collaboration.