Generolo Jono Žemaičio Lietuvos karo akademija

The scientific literature points out that cooperation increases the capability of an enterprise to engage in innovative activities. Besides, due to a change in the concept of regional development, much greater focus in growth in territories is placed on human capital, and the essential role of education and knowledge in innovation is stressed as well. Sustainable innovation is not only an economic category, and it mainly involves a social process where cooperation plays a great role. The research aim of the paper is to assess cooperation as a factor influencing sustainable innovation in the regional aspect based on the case of the bioeconomy industry in Latvia. The development of the bioeconomy represents transition from fossil to renewable sources, and it encompasses important industries of the economies of the regions of Latvia: forestry and agriculture. In Latvia, bioeconomy industry enterprises were quite cautious in their innovative activity and mainly focused on existing innovations that they adapted to their needs, and their innovative activity was observed only within their region. A positive fact is that most of the enterprises highly rated their cooperation with scientific and research institutions in developing innovations. The promotion of cooperation is one of the objectives that specialists of the Entrepreneurship Centres of the planning regions of Latvia have to deal with, yet their capacity is not sufficient for the promotion of cooperation among innovative enterprises in the region in the context of sustainability.

The paper reflects on question of regional policy ensuring food security in the context of closely interrelated economic, social and ecological components. Having performed analysis of common agricultural policy, programs for rural development, impact of world trade organization, integrated product policy, question of food security monitoring, influence of multinational companies, genetically modified products, programs for food support; we come to the conclusion that to the main trends of regional policy in the sphere of food security belong: establishing interregional and international import-export food operations, creation of regional reserves of strategically important products, direct/indirect financial and consultation support of agricultural enterprises, development of infrastructure facilities for transporting, storage, distribution of products, food support for socially unprotected groups of population, promoting development of eco-oriented production, implementation of control measures for the prevention of counterfeit in the trading network, control of production and sale of genetically modified products, formation of ecologically oriented thinking population.