New product development is the main  factor of economic progress in building the economic competitive advantage.  The life cycle of products becomes very short and it trends to be shorter year by year. It means that innovation becomes the main driver force in the economy. The innovation level is not sufficient in Latvia. One of the most significant players in the innovation field are business incubators in Latvia. This research study underlines the role of evaluation of each stage of innovation processes. The authors offer a new model for the evaluation of innovation processes stage by stage. This model allows to identify the main problems that hinder innovation. This model allows to develop concrete proposals for improving the innovative climate in the country. The research is based on the authors’ conducted research as a part of scientific grant of Rezekne Academy of Technologies „New product development process modeling and analysis in Latvia – innovation barriers”. The main methods, that are used in this research were as follows: content analysis, comparative analysis, synthesis, abstract and logical construction methods.

Ethics can be defined as a reflection on nature and a definition of “the good”. Individuals value qualities and things dissimilarly, most visibly, but they also value their goods in different ways, in different relations to each other, for different reasons, and to different ends. These differences are very applicable to sustainability. In other words, sustainability cannot be achieved without attention to its ethical dimensions. The aim of this research is to examine the ethical aspects of sustainability. Consequently, the main tasks of the research are: to define a reason for developing the ethics of sustainability and to describe the ethical context of sustainability. The following primary research methods are used: the monographic method, analysis, scientific induction and deduction. The key results are: a survey on the responsibility to the next generations and categorized values of the ethics of sustainability. All forms of sustainability in society depend on the human conduct. Therefore, the ethical aspects of reality are of larger significance in ensuring sustainability. Ethical sustainability needs to be realized in order to have sustainable political and social systems and processes.

Sustainable development has become an universal phrase and the area of many policy initiatives, especially those regarding environmental organizations. The revision of the dimensions of sustainable development gives vital support to develop and implement indicators for them. The dimensions of sustainable development are inseparable and mutually reinforcing. Sustainable development actions depend on complexity and working with different interests of environment and development. It is impossible to predict what needs future generations will have. The obligation of the current generation is both to use and protect the world resources in ways that meet human development opportunities more justifiably today, but which do not exclude choices for such actions tomorrow. The aim of the research is to analyse the dimensions of sustainable development. More deeply, the research tasks are to outline the hierarchical organization of sustainable development criteria and indicators and to create a new paradigm of sustainable development dimensions. The methods of research are monographic, quantitative, deductive, and inductive. The key result: a new paradigm of sustainable development dimensions is created. Sustainable development is a concept, possibly surrounding closely every aspect of human society. The meaning of the dimensions of sustainable development is all the time in progress. There is a new approach to the dimensions given in the research. Sustainability could be understood better in terms of “here and now”, “later” and “elsewhere”. The existence of sustainability criteria guarantees sustainability in the long perspective. It can be suggested that the sustainability criteria analysis and their practical use could be further developed. 

In the beginning of economic history, economics as a social science was closely related to ethics and had a moral dimension. The works of Aristotle and Adam Smith show that the science of economics has evolved taking into consideration the ethical stand. However, during the twentieth century, ethics was not considered in the economic analysis, but this situation transformed and ethics became a part of economics. Removing ethics from economics also removes social responsibility and critical awareness. This research analyzes the ethical aspects of regional economy. Regional economy has an ethical dimension because its main goal is to reduce the disparities between regions. There is carried out a brief reference to the relationship between ethics and economy. In the following article there are analysed ethical aspects of regional policy.

New product development is a very important issue for economic growth and welfare growth in general. The support programme of business incubators plays a significant role for operation of start-up companies in their creation of new products. In spite of it many enterprises of business incubators are not able to finish their innovation process, which shows on necessity to research  these problems. The aim of the research is to investigate the portfolio of new products which were developed by Latvian Start-up companies in the frame of the Business Incubation Programme  2009-2014,  related to  commercialization and market uptake.  The research is based on the authors’ conducted research as a part of scientific grant of Rezekne Academy of Technologies „New product development process modeling and analysis in Latvia – innovation barriers”.  The following methods are used in this research: content analysis, deductive, logical and comparison, and word cloud methods. As a result, the authors worked out and offered the word cloud of innovative products, which are produced in business incubators in Latvia, and which are available in markets.  The authors  worked out the word cloud of New Products, which are produced in business incubators, but are not on the markets.