Organizational and economic mechanism for forming a portfolio of digital products in the university strategic management system

Background. The digital transformation of higher education in the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation necessitates the development of organizational and economic mechanisms for forming a portfolio of digital products integrated into the university strategic management system. In the context of building a common scientific and technological space within the Union State of Belarus and Russia, universities function not only as centers of human capital development but also as developers of digital solutions for the educational process, scientific research, and interaction with industrial partners. The author argues that the formation of a digital product portfolio is determined by both internal strategic priorities of the university and external requirements of the labor market, state digitalization policy, and stakeholder demands of both states. Purpose — to develop an organizational and economic mechanism for forming a university digital product portfolio that ensures alignment of the university’s strategic goals with the needs of the Union State digital economy. Materials and methods. The study is based on systemic and strategic approaches. Portfolio analysis, economic‑mathematical modeling, expert assessments, and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) were employed. The empirical base comprised data on digital products from 12 leading universities of Belarus and Russia for the period 2020–2025, regulatory documents on digital transformation of education in both states, and results of an expert survey of 38 heads of university digital departments. Results. The author proposes an original model of the organizational and economic mechanism for forming a university digital product portfolio, comprising strategic, organizational, economic, and evaluative blocks. Criteria for prioritizing digital products were determined, accounting for strategic significance, economic efficiency, technological readiness, and scalability. A portfolio balance matrix was developed to assess the ratio of educational, research, and commercial digital products. Key organizational barriers to implementing the portfolio approach in university management in Belarus and Russia were identified, and solutions were proposed considering integration processes within the Union State. Testing the mechanism across three universities demonstrated an 18–24 % improvement in digitalization resource allocation efficiency.