The article explores the organizational foundations for the selection and financial management of socio-economic development projects at the regional and local levels within the framework of public investment reform in Ukraine. It highlights the institutional prospects for newly established units within regional state administrations and local self-government bodies tasked with managing public investment processes, particularly in the domains of expert evaluation and sectoral analysis. A comprehensive system of measures, procedures, and resources is examined, aimed at fostering transparent, evidence-based, and efficient expert activity. The author identifies specific responsible authorities for each procedural stage, thereby contributing to the institutional clarity and operational feasibility of the reform. As a key outcome of the study, the author proposes a model for a public investment project management team that integrates external expert and advisory support. The model delineates the roles, formats of participation, and influence mechanisms of involved institutions, which are categorized into two primary support functions: (1) information and consulting services, and (2) financial brokerage. Information and consulting services for the analytical components of regional and local development projects may be provided by regional institutes of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine specializing in regional economic development and spatial planning. Sector-specific expertise may be sourced from branch institutes of the National Academy of Sciences, specialized higher education institutions, local business associations, and regional chambers of commerce and industry. Financial mediation (brokerage) services, essential for securing co-financing of development initiatives, may be delivered by regional and local development agencies operating within the territories of project implementation. Additionally, industry associations, local business groups, and regional chambers of commerce and industry may contribute to financial intermediation. 

regional development, territorial development, public investment, reform, territorial administration, spatial planning, public regional policy, state regional policy 

The role of scientific and organizational support in ensuring regional (and local) development, as well as in creating the prerequisites for managing the development of the territorial economic system (region, community) has been investigated. The experience of European Union countries in forming a systematic approach to ensuring scientific and organizational support in the formation and implementation of EU cohesion policy (also known as EU regional policy) at the pan-European, regional, and local levels in EU countries has been examined. As part of the study of EU experience, four generations of programs of the European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON) are presented, representing a set of approaches and methods for implementing scientific and organizational support in the context of the formation and implementation of EU territorial policy. The article also examines the domestic experience of scientific and organizational support in the development of socio-economic development strategies in Ukrainian communities and the role of international technical assistance projects in this context. The experience of involving institutions of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the development of development strategies for Ukrainian territorial communities and the main problems arising in this context are examined separately. The article also proposes the application of a systematic approach at the national level to ensure scientific and organizational support from specialists of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine to improve regional and territorial development strategies at the national and local levels. 

regional development, territorial development, scientific and organizational support, cohesion policy, regional policy, instrument, EU