НЕФОРМАЛЬНА МИСТЕЦЬКА ОСВІТА В СИСТЕМІ ПІДГОТОВКИ МОЛОДИХ НАУКОВЦІВ: ІННОВАЦІЙНІ ПІДХОДИ, МОДЕЛІ ТА ПЕРСПЕКТИВИ

The article examines contemporary theoretical approaches and innovative practices of non-formal arts education in the context of preparing young researchers under the conditions of war, digital transformation, and the renewal of Ukraine’s educational system. It is emphasized that today the arts and education sphere performs not only cultural but also societal, psychological, and identity-shaping functions, ensuring community resilience and creating opportunities for creative self-realization. The study demonstrates that the growing significance of non-formal education is driven by its flexibility, openness, and capacity to support individual trajectories of professional development. Based on an analysis of Ukrainian and international research, it is argued that non-formal artistic practices – project laboratories, interactive workshops, creative hubs, study groups, music-interactive circles, and community music initiatives – provide a favourable environment for cultivating research culture, creativity, reflexivity, and interdisciplinary thinking among young scholars. The article reveals the potential of key models of non-formal arts education, including the creative community, academic – artistic residency, digital arts laboratory, and dialogic mentorship. These models create conditions for co-creation, cultural communication, engagement in field methods, and the formation of academic identity. Particular attention is paid to emerging practices – musical co-working spaces, micro-residencies, documentary – art workshops, intergenerational creative circles, and digital co-creation platforms – which expand opportunities for the scholarly and artistic development of students and early-career researchers. It is shown that the synergy of formal and non-formal education generates an integrated learning environment in which artistic activity functions as a laboratory for professional growth and innovative inquiry. The study underscores the significance of non-formal arts education during wartime as a resource for psychosocial support, cultural memory preservation, and collective resilience. It concludes that the integration of non-formal artistic formats into researcher training constitutes a strategically important direction for modernizing Ukrainian education and a prerequisite for the cultural and scientific renewal of Ukraine.