Translated using ChatGPT service.
On August 12, 2024, the Latvian Council of Science announced an open call for project proposals under the long-term national research program "Innovation Fund - Long-Term Research Program," established by the Ministry of Economics. This program was approved following the Cabinet of Ministers' Order No. 474 of June 18, 2024, which designated the Ministry of Economics as the responsible institution for implementing the program.
The program is designed to support early-stage applied science and commercially-oriented research in two key development areas for Latvia:
- Biomedicine, medical technologies, and pharmaceuticals
- Photonics, smart materials, electronics, electrical engineering, technologies, and engineering systems
The program aims to create a research platform within these two fields, fostering close collaboration with relevant Latvian industries. This platform will facilitate joint public-private research projects and, in collaboration with international experts, select promising research projects, while maintaining flexibility in project oversight.
The long-term national research program, created by the Ministry of Economics, is planned to be implemented in cooperation with the Latvian Council of Science in multiple phases until 2032. The phases are as follows: 2024–2026, 2027–2029, 2030–2032. For the first phase (2024–2026), the Ministry of Economics has allocated 22 million euros, with the possibility of increasing funding by 8 million euros annually for the next three phases (totaling 24 million euros in each three-year cycle).
According to the program’s objectives, the minimum results to be achieved by 2032 are:
- Establishment of one research platform;
- Development of at least 45 technologies, including prototypes, that meet Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 or 4, with at least 30 technologies reaching TRL 5 or 6;
- At least 5 new technologies, including prototypes, successfully commercialized.
The guidelines and appendices for the "Innovation Fund - Long-Term Research Program" are available on the Latvian Council of Science's website.
The deadline for submitting platform applications is September 12, 2024, by 17:00.
For additional information and the list of required documents, please refer to the Latvian Council of Science's website.