UL supports 16 large impact projects in the amount of 4.25 million euro

“The results of the competition confirm that UL researchers are not only ambitious in science, but also able to offer innovative and effective solutions for the successful and sustainable development of Latvia. The supported projects will contribute to the well-being and prosperity of society, national security and technological development, whilst strengthening identity and innovation capacity,” noted UL Rector Prof. Gundars Bērziņš.

This year, 89 project applications were submitted for the competition, covering a wide range of research topics in nine priority areas of UL. The greatest activity was in the areas “Human Capital Development” and “Increasing Innovation Capacity”. 17 experts from the structural units of UL evaluated the applications according to seven quality and impact criteria, concluding the assessment with organized a panel discussion and in-depth interviews. 

In total, 11 projects received the maximum support of 300 000 euro, two projects – 150 000 euro, and one project – 50 000 euro to test the potential of the proposed idea.

The supported projects cover a wide thematic spectrum, addressing significant challenges in the areas of public health, national development, technology and security. In the direction Human Capital Development and Public Health, projects focus on studying the impact of physical activity on psycho-emotional health, as well as detailed mapping of age-related changes in visual function, which will allow for a better understanding of public health trends in different age groups. In the field Strengthening the State Language, Identity and Civic Participation, a significant contribution will be made by the interdisciplinary research incubator “Latvijas sākotne” (Origin of Latvia) and the development of an open knowledge ecosystem for social science, while the initial development phase of the platform Manaizvēle.lv is intended to promote public trust and participation.

The projects of Technological and Digital Development include the elaboration of neural operators for the application of artificial intelligence in scientific data modelling, as well as the establishment of the UL Centre of Excellence for Quantum Photonics in Latvia, which will endorse Latvia in the international scientific space. In the area Innovation Capacity, the proposed research is dedicated to the development of medical radionuclides and radiopharmaceuticals in cooperation with CERN, as well as the creation of micro- and nanoarchitectures from biological waste, which promotes the development of a circular economy. In the field Financial System Development, a supported joint project will implement the study dedicated to the financial literacy of society and artificial intelligence solutions for strengthening the sustainability of the capital market.

A significant component of the programme is National Security and Resilience, which includes research into patterns of youth polarization and radicalization, adaptation of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) systems to monitor critical infrastructure, a crisis readiness barometer for the Baltic population, and the development of alternative positioning technologies that can operate independently of satellite systems. In the direction Environmental Sustainability, the PLANT-NET project will study the mechanisms of plant communication mediated by a fungal network, creating the basis for new antimicrobial solutions. In the area Governance Efficiency, the research will yield human-centred governance solutions to advance regional resilience and sustainable growth.

Meanwhile, a repeated competition will be announced by 21 December in the priority direction Strengthening Global Competitiveness, inviting submissions of projects that offer systemic solutions for increasing Latvia’s competitiveness in the international environment.