Translated using ChatGPT service.
From October 10 to 11, the 3rd International PMNET Forum, or Precision Medicine Networking Forum, will take place in Riga. This is one of the leading precision medicine platforms in Northern Europe. This year, the forum will host more than 300 participants, including healthcare professionals, scientists, entrepreneurs, and policymakers, to discuss pressing issues that impact Latvia’s economy and healthcare system.
The forum will feature extensive discussions on securing human resources in Latvia’s healthcare sector, developing digital skills, and biomedical innovations. Special attention will be given to the latest scientific research and technological solutions that could significantly improve the quality and accessibility of healthcare.
One of the events during the PMNET Forum will be the Latvian stage of the “i-Days” hackathon, organized by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology Health Community (EIT Health) and Riga Stradiņš University. Students from across Latvia are invited to participate. This hackathon will give students the opportunity to develop their ideas in the health sector, collaborate with industry experts, and create innovative solutions to address current healthcare system challenges in Latvia and abroad," says Ilze Lore, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Economics for Economic Affairs.
“i-Days,” or Innovation Days, promote health innovations among university students. These events, held in various European cities, bring together students from all academic fields to explore practical health innovation tools and compete in teams to solve real healthcare challenges posed by local organizations and companies. At the end of November, the winning team will travel to the European final in Budapest, where they will represent Latvia and present their idea at the European “i-Days” finals. More information: https://www.rsu.lv/en/idays
The smart specialization strategy (RIS3) developed in Latvia identifies biomedicine, medical technologies, and pharmaceuticals as priority areas. This sector is crucial for the country’s well-being and economic development, fostering innovation and improving healthcare quality and efficiency. The Ministry of Economics is actively supporting research and development projects, ensuring the sustainable growth of human resources and technologies needed for Latvia to become a leader in biomedical innovation.
Precision medicine is a key part of the biotechnology and biomedical sectors, which are essential for our economic development. Work is being done on utilizing genetic data to develop personalized treatment plans and many other projects. This positions Latvia internationally as one of the region’s leaders in precision medicine, attracting foreign investments in this field,” says Raivis Bremšmits, Director of the Latvian Investment and Development Agency.
To support the development of the sector, the Ministry of Economics has established the state research program "Innovation Fund - Sectoral Research Program," which supports commercially-oriented research projects in biomedicine, medical technologies, and pharmaceuticals, with total funding of 5.7 million euros. In 2024, the Ministry introduced a new, long-term state research program model, which will allocate over 8 million euros to support biomedical projects from 2024 to 2026.
The PMNET forum has become an important event thanks to the contributions of both local and international experts. The forum is organized by the Children’s Clinical University Hospital, Riga Stradiņš University, the Children's Hospital Foundation, the Latvian Children’s Oncology Foundation, the Ministry of Economics, the Ministry of Health, the Latvian Investment and Development Agency, as well as several patient organizations in collaboration with the Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, the American Chamber of Commerce in Latvia, the University of Latvia, Riga Technical University, Riga East Clinical University Hospital, and Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital.
Registration for participation in the forum, as well as detailed information about the forum’s program and speakers, is available on the website www.pmnetforum.com. We encourage you to follow the forum’s updates and events on social media platforms Facebook and LinkedIn, using the hashtags #MissionLatvia, #ESfondi, #investEU, #PMNETforum2024, and #PrecisionMedicineNetwork.
PMNET Forum 2024 is funded by the European Regional Development Fund project “For the Development of Innovative Entrepreneurship in SMEs.” This project is organized with the financial support of the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation.