Is the endowment fund a panacea for the financial autonomy of classical universities in Ukraine?

Abstract

The COVID-19 has put higher education institutions in a new situation and identified bottlenecks in the financial structure of institutions and education systems in general. However, for Ukrainian universities, this situation can be seen as an opportunity to achieve financial autonomy. This study is devoted to the consideration of a possible tool for the financial autonomy of Ukrainian classical universities, most of which are state-funded. The paper considers the methodology of a possible tool for the accumulation of external financing – the endowment fund. The case analysis and analytical consideration of world practice are applied. As a result, a model for financing the university in its transition to the innovation and entrepreneurship model is proposed as the chain “endowment fund – development of start-ups”. This example can become the basis of the road map for other national HEIs, as well as the practice of wider use in the field of higher education. However, despite most of the national classical universities have declared a course to an innovative development, which further raised the necessity of external funding, top management and general economic situation require more attention. As this transition to a new model of the university is taking place along with the financial stabilization and under economic and social upheavals, the formation of a new culture of online communication is necessary. Thus, the proposed model is the practical guideline of possible decisions but mostly the start-point for further discussion and research.