Green light for Latvian scientists’ ideas – 40 research and innovation projects funded

The evaluation process of the first research and innovation project competition under the platform “Biomedical and Photonics Research Platform for the Creation of Innovative Products” (“BioPhoT”) has concluded, and 40 projects have been selected for implementation. They represent a wide spectrum of research, with a focus on smart specialization areas such as biomedicine, medical technologies, photonics, materials science, energy, and the environment.

“The first call of the BioPhoT research and innovation project competition in academia has received an unexpectedly high level of interest – more than 120 research groups responded to the invitation to apply in this, until now, unfamiliar competition format in Latvia. One third of these groups have received funding to realize their ideas.

This clearly demonstrates the strong potential of our scientists in applied research and innovation, provided there is appropriate support.

Now, our task is to highlight the themes of the supported projects both nationally and internationally and to convince industry partners that Latvian scientists are ready to tackle high-level practical challenges and create innovations with global potential,” commented the platform’s head Osvalds Pugovičs.

Osvalds Pugovičs. Photo: Courtesy of Guntis Bērziņš

Thanks to the high quality of applications, the Platform’s project management group decided to increase the initially planned funding from EUR 6 million to EUR 8 million.

Projects from Rīga Stradiņš University

Three projects from Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) received funding. These cover sepsis diagnostics in newborns through urine analysis, the development of optical multimodal methods for assessing microcirculation in patients with septic shock, and an innovative vaginal moisturizer with postbiotics and phytoestrogens for perimenopausal women’s healthcare.

In addition, funding was approved for Riga Technical University (RTU) on identifying and monitoring clinically significant biomarkers using sweat analysis (SwyCard), and Riga Stradiņš university will be participating in the project as collaborators. 

Projects in biomedicine, technology, and other fields

Approximately one quarter of the supported projects are related to biomedicine and healthcare, for example, innovative approaches to the diagnosis of sepsis, cancer, and infections. An equal share represent medical technologies, including the development of new devices, sensors, and diagnostic solutions. Significant attention is also dedicated to photonics and optical technologies, with solutions in optical fiber sensors, luminescent coatings, and infrared spectroscopy. Eight projects are related to smart materials, including innovative biomaterials and sustainable composites, while four address environmental and energy topics such as CO2 capture and renewable energy applications.

The largest project implementers

The largest project implementers are the University of Latvia with ten funded projects and Riga Technical University with nine. The Institute of Solid State Physics at the University of Latvia will carry out seven projects, while six research groups have been supported at the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis. Rīga Stradiņš University will implement three projects, the Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre two, while Daugavpils University, the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, and the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies will each implement one project.

'The BioPhoT platform is open to all Latvian research organizations – for example, in this call, support was also granted to researchers in Daugavpils and Jelgava. This demonstrates the quality of the submitted projects while simultaneously sending an important signal to all regional universities,' emphasised O. Pugovičs.

About application evaluations

The wide institutional coverage demonstrates both the potential of Latvian science and a high level of engagement across various disciplines. The competition attracted significant interest – 122 applications were submitted from a wide range of research fields, including biomedicine, pharmacy, photonics, medical technologies, and materials science.

The evaluation of the submitted projects took place in two stages: initially, industry, commercialization, and innovation experts analyzed the innovative potential of the applications, while in the second stage, their scientific quality was assessed by foreign scientific experts engaged by the Latvian Council of Science.

Upcoming competitions and development goals until 2032

This is the first of three competitions planned within the first phase of the BioPhoT platform’s operation until the end of 2026. More than EUR 12 million will be available for the implementation of innovation projects, with an additional nearly EUR 5 million dedicated to training in technology transfer, intellectual property protection, and commercialisation skills. The next research and innovation project call is expected at the beginning of October, while at the end of November a conference will take place, offering everyone the opportunity to learn more about the projects supported in this first call.

By 2032, the platform aims to develop at least 35 new technologies, more than half of which will be advanced to validation in real or full-scale environments (TRL 5–6), and at least four to commercialization stage. This will significantly strengthen Latvia’s competitiveness in high-tech fields.

The project “Biomedical and Photonics Research Platform for the Creation of Innovative Products” (“BioPhoT”) is implemented under the National Research Program “Innovation Fund – Long-term Research Program”. Platform number: IVPP-EM-Innovation-2024/1-0002.