INTEGRAL ASSESSMENT AND DEVELOPMENT PATHS OF THE INNOVATION POTENTIAL OF SECONDARY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON THE EXAMPLE OF BELGOROD REGION

This study aims to empirically validate the previously developed Integral Index of Innovation Potential for Secondary Vocational Education Institutions (IIP-SVE), a quantitative tool designed to measure colleges' contributions to regional innovation systems. The IIP-SVE methodology aggregates five critical dimensions–human resources capacity, innovation infrastructure and digitalization, network collaboration, scientific and technical activity, and financial resilience–each composed of normalized sub-indicators (range 0–1) weighted by expert consensus, and subsequently combined into a single composite score. Three institutions in the Belgorod region were selected as the empirical base: Belgorod Industrial College, Shebekino College of Industry and Transport, and Yakovlev Polytechnic College. Data sources included Ministry of Science and Higher Education monitoring forms for SVE, institutional development plans, self-assessment reports, organizational profiles, and other documentation. Calculations for 2024 data show that Belgorod Industrial College achieved the highest IIPSVE score among the sample. This validation confirms the index's informativeness and sensitivity, enabling objective ranking of colleges and identification of "growth points" for targeted managerial interventions. The methodology is versatile and can be applied to longitudinal monitoring of SVE innovation potential and integrated into regional strategic planning frameworks.