Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools have been used across various sectors of the global economy. The use of AI has been associated with both benefits and drawbacks, which is why the goal of this research was to identify the attitudes of academic staff of higher education institutions (HEIs) towards using AI for both academic and research purposes. To attain the goal, there was designed a questionnaire, which was distributed to members of academic staff of different biological genders and ages from 10 European countries. Irrespective of biological gender, age, or country, responses were similar. First, academic staff emphasized the importance of having AI-related regulations at HEIs. Second, academic staff were positive about using AI for information searchers and preparation of teaching materials. Third, academic staff were concerned about AI-related plagiarism issues, which is why they were reluctant to approve the AI use for research and thesis writing. Fourth, slightly more than 40% of the respondents indicated the use of AI. This points to the lack of AI skills among academic staff, which was further supported by a set of basic purposes for which AI was claimed to have been used. One implication of this research relates to the organization of the study process. Managers of HEIs should introduce institutionalized training in AI for academic and research purposes for academic staff to promote digital equality. Another implication of the study relates to the areas of AI training for academic staff. It should cover the topics of AI for the design of teaching materials, formative and summative assessment, and plagiarism check.

Since the term digital transformation appeared in the literature in the 1990s, it has been widely used in a variety of fields and contexts. At the moment, both in the scientific literature and practical application, digital transformation is understood not only as the use of digital technologies, but also as a change in the understanding of the role of technology in the development of processes, forms and approaches at the level of both: an individual and society. Digital transformation is also an integral part of policy planning documents, which is vividly confirmed by the Digital Transformation Guidelines for 2021-2027 of Latvia. The vision defined in the document emphasizes the importance of technology for the development of society and the competitiveness of the business and for the development of creativity. It describes the relatively low level of digital transformation in small and medium-sized enterprises in Latvia, which is very typical as well for creative industries. Digital transformation of the creative industries has been little studied so far. The aim of the article is to assess the importance of digital transformation in regional creative industries. To achieve this goal, the literature and documents on the digital transformation were analysed, especially about the creative industries. To assess the potential of digital transformation in creative industries, interviews with experts on digital transformation, creative industries and regional development were carried out. The study showed that the importance and application of digital transformation in the creative industries have grown in recent years, partly due to the situation of the Covid-19. On the other hand, its role in the performance of companies is still relatively small and underestimated.

Research purpose. Cultural and creative industries (CCIs) have long been recognised as important drivers of economic growth, social cohesion, and innovation in sustainable regional development. However, their full potential is still not fully exploited, especially outside large cities. This study examines the development and innovation potential of CCI companies in Latvian regions, taking into account their role in sustainable regional development. The aim of the study is to identify the challenges and obstacles for CCI companies in implementing innovations and their impact on sustainable regional development in Latvia. Unlike most existing studies focusing either on national strategies or sectoral analyses, this study provides the first regional comparison of CCI innovation practices in all five planning regions of Latvia, combining policy analysis with qualitative evidence from companies. Design / Methodology / Approach. The study used a qualitative research approach, conducting semi-structured interviews with representatives of CCI companies in all five planning regions of Latvia. In addition to the interviews, an analysis of planning documents at the planning region level was conducted to assess the importance of CCI defined in them. Thematic analysis was used as a data processing method, identifying challenges and obstacles that CCI companies face in implementing innovations and their role in sustainable regional development. The study also showed that the importance of CCIs in sustainable regional development varies across different planning regions of Latvia, which is related to the greater focus of such companies on creating cultural rather than economic value. Findings. The study confirms that CCI companies make a significant contribution to sustainable regional development, promoting innovation and economic diversification and strengthening cultural identity. However, their growth is hampered by limited financial resources, fragmented policy support, and challenges related to digitalisation. An important discovery is that innovative CCIs in Latvia often arise due to limited resources, resulting in adaptive organisational and communication practices that differ from traditional R&D-driven innovation models. Originality / Value / Practical implications. The originality of this study lies in its integrated methodology, which combines analysis of regional policy papers with direct business views to detect systemic discrepancies between strategically determined and practically necessary support for CCIs. As well as documenting barriers, it shows how informal, practice-based innovation contributes to regional identity and resilience. Highlighting this understudied dynamic in a small EU member state, the study provides new evidence for international debate that CCIs can serve as both a creator of cultural assets and an innovation partner for sustainable regional development.

The purpose of this study is to identify the most common forms of university-industry cooperation in Latvia, as well as to evaluate the motivating, facilitating, and barrier-creating factors of such cooperation. A case study approach was used to conduct the research, analyzing three projects of the ERDF program “Innovation Grants for Students”, analyzing their documentation, and conducting interviews with the companies involved in the projects as well as project management representatives. The study showed that university-industry cooperation in Latvia is at a stage of development where it is essential to build mutual trust and communication between universities and business.

The purpose of this study is to explore how student-centred innovation projects affect local Triple Helix interactions in a small national innovation system. Even though the role of universities in regional development is increasingly stressed, there is little evidence about the role student-centred activities may play in fostering collaborative relations. A qualitative, multiple-case design was applied, with cases selected among Latvian Innovation Grants for Students programme experiences. Sources of empirical data included document analysis and semi-structured interviews with university and business actors. According to the results, while talent-related value logics, which include gaining access to students and potential for recruiting them, are crucial for university-industry collaboration, the innovation and co-creation value logics focus on coordination capacity and preparedness for interaction. This paper contributes to knowledge with an exploratory conceptual model of local Triple Helix interaction, based on four ideal-type alliances that depend on coordination infrastructure and value logics.