ROLE OF CONSULTING IN STUMULATING INNOVATION (Rol konsaltinhu v stymulyatsiyi vprovadzhennya innovatsiy)

The article aims to identify capabilities of consulting in stimulating innovation activities, with emphasis on the key aspect of the innovation process, dissemination of innovations and building up the demand for innovations. Experiences of several consulting firms are considered, information about effective mechanisms for innovations dissemination in organizations belonging to various sectors and ownership categories is given. Also, it is shown that capabilities of professional business consulting as an innovation factor and a basic component of the national innovation system (NIS) are still understated in Ukraine, and that consulting methods are not properly used to inform consumers about innovation advantages, to encourage consumer demand for innovation products, or, to put it another way, to set up systemic communication between engineers and sellers of industrial innovations as agents of the national innovation system. Capabilities of consulting as a mechanism pushing up innovation in time of the economy recovery from the crisis are shown. Feasibility of establishing innovation consulting agencies at the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of Ukraine, established as joint ventures of the NAS with outstanding consulting firms (including foreign ones) is discussed.