On August 18 this year, the Minister of Economics Ilze Indriksone visited the Institute of Solid State Physics of the University of Latvia (ISSP UL) to discuss with scientists and scientific leaders the developments in commercialising scientific discoveries and meeting the innovation needs of entrepreneurs.
The Minister of Economics looked at the technology developed, the products created by the Institute and the future plans of the Institute. “The Institute of Solid State Physics of the University of Latvia is a pillar for the development of high-tech companies in Latvia. I am really pleased by the high-tech start-ups resulting from the activities of the Institute, as well as the fact that the innovations created in Latvia are being used throughout the world in a wide variety of areas – from energy, space and state defence to medicine and culture,” the Minister of Economics Ilze Indriksone emphasises.
The institute’s work in developing closer cooperation between the academic, scientific and industrial sectors in material science through the technology transfer unit “Materize”, as well as by promoting the development of high-tech industries in Latvia is appreciated. The institute employs more than 300 people. Of those, around 125 are doctors of science and around 80 are students. These people are two and a half times more productive in terms of scientific publications than other colleagues in Latvia. ISSP UL has attracted tens of millions of euros of funding from the European Commission to Latvia. Compared to universities, scientific institutes have been forced to focus more on cooperation projects that promote their competitiveness and naturally make scientific institutes leaders in cooperation with industry.
The Director of ISSP UL Andris Anspoks thanked for the successful cooperation with the Ministry of Economics and the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (IDAL) so far. I.Indriksone agreed with A.Anspoks on the need to continue successful research for the development of new products and technologies. A number of challenges were also identified. There is a need to continue the efficient IDAL science commercialisation project programme, which makes it possible to successfully overcome the so-called “valley of death” between science and industry. Due to the rapid development of biotechnology and medical technologies in the country, it is critical to establish open-access biology laboratories – cleanrooms for work with cells, micro-organisms and viruses. The infrastructure currently available is in full use and limits business development in this area, as well as the potential of Latvian scientists to work with advanced technologies such as organs on a chip is not fully exploited. It is also necessary to work on a competitive business development offer, because Latvia is competing with other countries here. Groglass, which has applied for aid in building a new plant, is a bright example. Other countries, including Poland, are also competing for the possibility of providing this aid but we should not allow a significant outflow of exporting companies abroad.
It has already been reported that the Ministry of Economics, which has traditionally contributed to increasing the innovation capacity of companies, has involved in science financing and support, including by granting state funding for research projects. In addition to the European Union Structural Funds, over the next three years, the Ministry is planning to invest 12 million euro from state budget funds to implement a national research programme in two smart specialisation areas that are important to Latvia and its research traditions: (1) Biomedicine, medical technologies, pharmacy, (2) Photonics, smart materials, technologies and engineering systems. These areas have a high potential for commercialisation of research results and respective centres of excellence have already been established – the Baltic Biomaterials Centre of Excellence (BBCE) and the Centre of Excellence in Advanced Material Research and Technology (CAMART²), established by ISSP UL.