Project economy as a new model for building sustainable business ecosystems in the digital environment

The article explores the transformation of economic systems from process-oriented management to a project-ecosystem model, emphasizing that the digital era is shaping a new architecture of value creation driven by knowledge, innovation, partnerships, and sustainability. The modern economy is increasingly networked, decentralized, and adaptive, forming the foundation of the Project Economy – a system where interconnected initiatives generate long-term value. The purpose of the study is to substantiate the conceptual foundations and to develop an integrative model for forming a sustainable project economy based on the combination of innovation development indicators and progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The theoretical framework relies on the concepts of Project Economy, the innovation approaches of the OECD, and the corporate sustainability principles of the World Economic Forum. The research employs comparative analysis, index evaluation, and structural-logical generalization methods, enabling the identification of interrelations between innovation potential and the sustainability of economic systems. The study proves that the efficiency of the national economy is determined by its ability to transform innovative resources (inputs) into sustainable outcomes through mechanisms of project management, digitalization, and cross-sectoral partnerships. Based on a comparative analysis of the SDG Index and the Global Innovation Index for 2025, it was found that Ukraine demonstrates a moderate level of innovativeness (66th in GII) and sustainability (42nd in SDG Index), while possessing significant growth potential driven by human capital, digital competencies, and international cooperation. The proposed author’s Project–Sustainability Integration Model ensures the alignment of innovation outcomes with the implementation of the SDGs through project management mechanisms. It captures the synergy between technological progress and socio-economic stability, defining mechanisms for building a competitive, knowledge-based economy.