INNOVATION POLICY OF THE FUEL AND ENERGY COMPLEX OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN: A CONCEPTUAL MODEL AND AN INTEGRAL ASSESSMENT OF SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT

The competitiveness of a fuel and energy complex (FEC) increasingly depends less on resource endowment than on the capacity to generate, adopt and commercialise innovation. This paper develops a systemic conceptual model of innovative development for the FEC of the Republic of Uzbekistan and proposes a quantitative tool for its assessment. Drawing on national strategy documents, international-agency reports (IEA, IRENA, OECD) and the scholarly literature, the study applies systemic-structural analysis, international benchmarking, conceptual modelling and a composite-indicator method. The model represents the FEC as six interacting subsystems — state innovation policy, science and education, FEC enterprises, innovation infrastructure, digital transformation and human capital — that feedback loops connect. The paper then analyses modern trends, including the digital oilfield, digital twins, predictive diagnostics, ESG principles and the deepening of gas chemistry, and it defines the competencies of 'Engineering 4.0'. On this basis, the paper proposes an Integral Index of Innovative Development of the FEC (IIDI-FEC) that aggregates seven indicator blocks with target values to 2035 and applies a five-level interpretation scale. The results show that Uzbekistan occupies an early-transition position relative to advanced economies; consequently, long-term competitiveness requires the coordinated development of research universities, commercialisation mechanisms, digital management tools and engineering human capital, in line with the Strategy 'Uzbekistan-2030'.