The article contains the results of a research within the STIMEY (Science, Technology, Innovation, Mathematics, Engineering for the Young) project funded by the European Union’s Horizon-2020 research and innovation program (2016-2021). In the project, a hybrid learning environment (LE) was developed for both on-site and online learning suitable for the learning conditions in the COVID-19 era and beyond. The purpose of the research segment presented in this paper was to develop an instrument for assessment of the learner’s progress in creativity as one of the key targets of STIMEY. COVID-19 has shown that creativity is also needed to allow education systems the flexibility for unexpected changes and circumstantial challenges. The article presents a definition of Science and Technology Oriented Creativity (STOC) based on the existing theories in the field, a short outline of the STOC measurement method developed, procedures, evaluation algorithms and an overview of the experimental STOC testing results. The relevance of the method developed to its purpose and suggested tentative positive influences of the STIMEY LE on learners’ creativity are discussed. Argumentations of strengths, limitations, applications of STOC testing outside the STIMEY project and the key directions of further improvements of the method developed are provided.

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The article deals with the problems of international integration under the conditions of turbulence in the global economic and geopolitical environment. The thesis that economic integration is a process of homogenization of the economic spaces of participants is substantiated. It is proposed to consider the population of the territories participating in integration as both an object and a subject, a resource and a key beneficiary of integration processes. The role and importance of the human potential of the territories for increasing the efficiency of integration processes is revealed. The necessity of systemic integration of educational systems as a basic prerequisite for increasing the efficiency of economic and political integration of territories is grounded.