GRANT ACTIVITIES AS AN ADDITIONAL SOURCE OF FUNDING FOR HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN UKRAINE: REGULATORY AND ORGANIZATIONAL ASPECTS

Abstract

The article examines grant funding as an additional source of financial support for higher education institutions in Ukraine, focusing on the relationship between legal requirements and the organisation of project implementation. Its purpose is to identify the conditions under which universities can attract and use grants effectively and to distinguish regulatory issues from difficulties that can be addressed through internal management decisions. The study applies formal legal, systemic, comparative and analytical methods to legislation, official programme materials and academic publications. The analysis covers the legal basis for grant activity, the opportunities provided by the National Research Foundation of Ukraine, Horizon Europe and Erasmus+, and the coordination of academic, financial and administrative units. The findings indicate that the availability of funding opportunities needs to be supported by institutional capacity throughout the project cycle. Particular attention is paid to the assessment of funding conditions before an application is submitted, realistic budgeting, the timing of receipts and expenditure, procurement planning and the documentation of project results. The article explains why a grant amount should be considered together with the university's own contribution, administrative workload and obligations that continue after funding ends. It proposes a coordinated model in which a grant office supports applicants and project teams while financial, legal and procurement specialists retain responsibility for their respective functions. Internal procedures should specify approval routes, reporting deadlines and responsibility for changes to the project budget. The proposed approach also includes monitoring both financial execution and the achievement of educational or research results. These measures are intended to reduce avoidable delays, improve the traceability of expenditure and support continuity when project staff change. The contribution of the study lies in connecting the regulatory framework with practical arrangements for managing university grant portfolios. The results can inform internal regulations on grant preparation, implementation and reporting. The recommendations are analytical and require further assessment through comparative studies of university practices; they do not imply that grants can replace stable core funding.