INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND HUMANITIES RESEARCH (HESPI) of Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (ViA HESPI) was established in 2013 as an agency and in 2015 reorganized as a unit of the university. ViA HESPI has elaborated Development Plan 2014-2019 with the main focus on developing research activities in regional development and planning, sustainable development, development of high added values products based on local resources as well as to strengthen research institution capacity and cooperation with stakeholders in the region, Latvia and neighbour countries, EU. Mission To perform open and creative scientific activity based in professional academic and applied research, to make its results public and include them in the study programmes of Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, as well as promote the applicability of these results in smart community development on international, national, regional and local level.