Updated on 9 July 2026
Business Challenges and Opportunities in Sparsely Populated Areas: Strengthening Regional Innovation Ecosystems
Co-leader of Doctoral School at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences
Valmiera, Latvia
About
Sparsely populated areas represent a significant share of Latvia and many European regions. These territories face complex challenges, including population decline, labour shortages, limited access to markets, and lower innovation capacity. At the same time, they offer substantial opportunities for developing knowledge-intensive businesses through digitalisation, green transition, circular economy, bioeconomy, and smart regional specialisation.
Latvia's Research and Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialisation (RIS3) identifies five strategic knowledge areas—Knowledge-intensive Bioeconomy, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Smart Energy and Mobility, Smart Materials and Engineering Systems, and Biomedicine. However, the successful implementation of RIS3 depends on strong regional entrepreneurial ecosystems capable of transforming research and innovation into sustainable business growth, particularly outside capital.
This research proposal is a horizontal scientific discipline supporting the implementation of RIS3 by investigating how businesses in sparsely populated regions create, adopt, and commercialise innovation within regional innovation ecosystems.
The aim is to develop an evidence-based framework explaining how businesses operating in sparsely populated areas contribute to the implementation of Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3) and how regional innovation ecosystems can strengthen business resilience, competitiveness, and sustainable regional development.
Field
- E1-Economics
- E2-Economic Development
- E3-Management
- V1-Environment and society
Organisation
Similar opportunities
Project cooperation
CIRCULAR-FIN DN: Doctoral Training for Green Finance, Circular Economy and Just Transitions
- E4-Finance
- Beneficiary
- Project Idea
- E1-Economics
- E3-Management
- Looking for Parners
- Looking for Coordinator
- V1-Environment and society
İpek Yeniay Hatipoğlu
Lecturer at Manisa Celal Bayar University
Manisa, Türkiye
Expertise
Behavioural Finance and Sustainable Finance for MSCA Doctoral Networks
- E4-Finance
- E1-Economics
- E3-Management
- E2-Economic Development
- V1-Environment and society
- G1-Computer science and informatics
Saban Onur Viga
Professor (Assist.) at Istanbul Esenyurt University
Istanbul, Türkiye
Expertise
Digital Twins, Climate Change, Irrigation and Carbon Management for Agriculture
- E3-Management
- E2-Economic Development
- V2-Earth system science
- V1-Environment and society
- V3-Evolutionary, population and environmental biology
Mehmet gür
Research Engineer at Kırklareli Ataturk Soil Water and Agricultural Meteorology Research Instıtute
Kirklareli, Türkiye