SOCIAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT AS A TOOL FOR DEVELOPING INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SUPPORTING STARTUP PROJECTS IN THE CONTEXT OF SOCIETAL TRANSFORMATIONS

Abstract

The article substantiates the role of social project management as a tool for the development of innovative entrepreneurship and support for start-up projects amid contemporary social transformations. The relevance of the study is determined by the increasing uncertainty of the external environment, digitalisation of the economy, shifts in technological priorities, wartime challenges, and the need to establish sustainable mechanisms for supporting innovative initiatives. The purpose of the article is to identify the content and mechanisms through which social project management contributes to the formation of a favourable innovation environment, the development of partnership interaction, and the enhancement of start-up project implementation efficiency. The methodological basis of the research includes the methods of analysis and synthesis, comparison, systematisation and generalisation of scientific approaches to project management, innovative entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship. Structural and logical modelling was applied to develop a conceptual model for supporting start-up projects. The study reveals the specific features of social project management in comparison with traditional project management. These features include its focus on combining economic performance with social value creation, sustainable development, social capital formation, and long-term partnerships. It is established that the integrative function of social project management is realised through the coordination of interaction among public authorities, businesses, higher education institutions, research organisations, investors, civil society organisations, and local communities. The article identifies the main barriers to the development of start-up projects, including limited access to finance, insufficient managerial competencies of start-up teams, high environmental uncertainty, fragmentation of innovation ecosystems, inadequate access to expertise, and weak institutional support for innovation. It is substantiated that overcoming these barriers requires the application of fundraising instruments, grant and acceleration programmes, mentoring, flexible project management methodologies, stakeholder networking platforms, social investment, public-private partnership mechanisms, and business incubation programmes. A conceptual model of social project management for start-up support is proposed. Within this model, the state provides regulatory, financial and institutional conditions, while cross-sectoral cooperation facilitates the consolidation of resource, educational, research and social capacities. The practical significance of the findings lies in the possibility of applying the proposed approaches in the development of regional and national programmes aimed at supporting innovative entrepreneurship, establishing start-up hubs at higher education institutions, and introducing adaptive support models for innovative teams. Further research should focus on developing methodological tools for assessing the effectiveness of social project management in the field of start-up project support