In recent years, there has been a constant deficit of students in technical specialities in higher educational institutions. This problem is especially significant for industrial engineering area. To solve this issue, the authors initiated the joint project with participation of three universities in the Baltic region. This project aims to develop a new approach for preparing schoolchildren to choose the right profession through collective efforts of university, schools and enterprises. Authors address the critical issue in this paper, the gap between the needs of companies in the region and university education. Authors introduce this problem based on the questionnaire answers provided by the metal and machinery industries of the Baltic countries. Results of the current analysis may be useful to other nations and readers can apply them to other sectors.

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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.

1. Jaunu produktu atteisteibys procesa metodika šūbreid bolstuos iz NASA (Nacionaluo aeronautikys i kosmosa administraceja) adaptātu tehnologeju gataveibys leimiņu (TRL), kas nav dūmuoti iz dreizam lītuojumam orientātu produktu, bet rysynoj kaidu naviņ tehniski nūsaceitu aizdavumu. Autoru grupa – Irēna Silineviča, Māris Igavens i Liene Amantova-Salmane (Rēzeknis Tehnologeju akademeja, RTA) – īsoka procesu sadaleit pīcuos daļuos, paraleli tehniskam aizdavumam ījamūt tiergzineibys i logistikys pasuokumus, kas kolpuotu sekmeiguokai produkta komercializacejai.2. Jaunu produktu īvesšonas kaviekli, biznesa inkubatora programys 2009.–2014. goda pīredze (RTA pietejums).Leluokais tryukums – augstuokuos izgleiteibys īstuodis (AII) šūbreid napīteikami pīduovoj pakolpuojumus jaunu produktu atteisteibai. Tryukst kvalitativu tierga pietejumu, praktisku puordūšonu veicynūšu iniciativu i darbeibu. Izaver, ka školom ir parūceiguok pījimt, ka uzjiemiejs pats lobuok zynuos, kur i kai sovu produktu puordūt, i vajadzeigūs kompeteņču naatteista studeju procesā.3. Jauna AII studeju metode – sadarbeibā ar puordūšonys laboratorejom realizēt dorba videi damāruotu vuiceibu procesu. RTA ir izveiduojuse konsorceju kūpā ar Baļtejis regiona tehniskajom universitatem (Aalto (Helsinki, Suomeja), Lundys, Tallinys, Belostokys, Kaunis) i Latvejis-Leitovys puorrūbežu programā realizej pilotprojektu – dorba vidē baļsteitys metodis (PBL – problem based learning) īdzeivynuošonu.4. Jauna starpdisciplinara metodika jaunīšu profesionalajai orientacejai ar dizaina, tehnologeju i ekonomikys elementu vīnlaiceigu padūšonu. Eiropys Komisejis Strategiskuos partnereibys programys atbaļsteitā projektā Rēzeknis, Tallinys i Viļnis karjerys specialisti izstruodoj puorkvalifikacejis kursu školuotuojim, kab veicynuot jaunīšu palikšonu Baļtejā i mudynuot jūs sovai nuokūtnis profesejai izalaseit tradicionaluos nūzaris. Kursa metodikys pamatā ir treis kritiskuos dūmuošonys sūli: 1) īsapatikt – caur dizainu, 2) saprast – caur tehnologeju, 3) rysynuot – ar ekonomiskim lobumim.5. Pošvaļdeibu lūma uzjiemiejdarbeibys ekosistemys veiduošonā ar sakuortuota tierga infastrukturys paleidzeibu Latvejis regionu kontekstā ir saisteita ar puortykys, ryupnīceibys i tml. preču kvalitatis, turysma i rekreacejis, gastronomejis i restoranu biznesa vaicuojumu rysynuošonu, izgleiteibys dorba veikšonu, paplašynojūt uzjiemiejdarbeibu iz vītys i puorceļūt, pīvadumam, Reigys centraluo tierga laikā i telpā.

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.