The article aims at studying the theoretical basis and developing a methodological approach for assessing the development of urban infrastructure from the point of view of the use of venture capital. The article explores the tendencies of the development of venture capital investments in the world. Particular attention is paid to comparing volumes of the formal market of venture capital investment in the EU and Ukraine. The emphasis is placed on the fact that venture capital is a way of targeted investment in innovative development and can become a catalyst for the introduction of innovative technologies. It is substantiated that science and education are reliable segments for the diffusion of innovations. The focus is on the functioning of technology parks and it is revealed that they have become the most effective organizational and economic form of integration of science and production among all other innovative structures in the world. The best practices of Ukrainian universities on the commercialization of innovative developments and technology transfer in the domestic and foreign markets are presented. The creation of an innovative educational-production cluster based on the principles of publicprivate partnership in the form of a multilateral treaty union of state authorities and economic entities without unification of deposits is proposed. The results of calculating the accumulative influence of the multiplicative effect from the development of urban infrastructure have been presented and the effectiveness of its influence on the development of the regions of Ukraine economy has been proved.

The article aims at finding ways to intensify the innovation activity of the Ukrainian economy, determine the role of university education in the formation and development of innovation infrastructure. It is substantiated that science and education are a reliable segment for the diffusion of innovations. The best practices of Ukrainian universities on the commercialization of innovative developments and technology transfer in the domestic and foreign markets are presented. The article analyzes the main indicators of the development of innovation activity in Ukraine as well as the dynamics of the development of university education. Particular attention is paid to the role of state classical universities in maintaining innovation development of the state and its regions. It is determined that in modern conditions, universities become integrators, participants, intermediaries, catalysts of communications and cooperation of educational and scientific structures with production, cultural institutions and regional authorities. It was investigated that on the basis of universities, 20 scientific parks have been created and are successfully functioning in Ukraine. The present innovative educational and production cluster of public-private partnership is presented. The scheme of management of it is offered. The results of calculating the multiplicative effect from the development of innovation infrastructure, which will be created as a result of the functioning of the educational-production cluster, are presented. The effectiveness of its influence on the development of the region's economy is proved.

A sequential production line is defined as a set of sequential operations within a factory or distribution center whereby entities undergo one or more processes to produce a final product. Sequential production lines may gain efficiencies such as increased throughput or reduced work in progress by utilizing specific configurations while maintaining the chronological order of operations. One problem identified by the authors via a case study is that, some of the configurations, such as work cell or U-shaped production lines that have groups of buffers, often increase the space utilization. Therefore, many facilities do not take advantage of the configuration efficiencies that a work cell or U-shaped production line provide. To solve this problem, the authors introduce the concept of a buffer cluster. The production line implemented with one or more buffer clusters maintains the throughput of the line, identical to that with dedicated buffers, but with the clusters reduces the buffer storage space. The paper derives a time based parametric model that determines the sizing of the buffer cluster, provides a reduced time space for which to search for the buffer cluster sizing, and determines an optimal buffer clustering policy that can be applied to any N-server, N+1 buffer sequential line configuration with deterministic processing time. This solution reduces the buffer storage space utilized while ensuring no overflows or underflows occur in the buffer. Furthermore, the paper demonstrates how the buffer clustering policy serves as an input into a facility layout tool that provides the optimal production line layout.