On 10 February at the Latvijas Zinātņu akadēmija, BioPhoT platform director Osvalds Pugovičs presented the results of the platform’s first year of operation. They clearly demonstrate that Latvian scientists possess not only ideas, but also the ambition to develop them into tangible solutions.
Across two calls, the platform received 223 project applications, with 40 research teams already awarded support. The second call also saw a notable rise in the overall quality of submissions, indicating that researchers are becoming increasingly adept at framing their ideas with practical application in mind. The range of participating institutions has likewise expanded: alongside consortium partners, the platform now includes Daugavpils Universitāte, Latvijas Biozinātņu un tehnoloģiju universitāte, Ventspils Augstskola, Vidzemes Augstskola and Jāzepa Vītola Latvijas Mūzikas akadēmija. This reflects BioPhoT’s growing role as a shared instrument for advancing innovation in Latvia.
BioPhoT is also purposefully strengthening collaboration with international partners, including EIT Health and Hello Tomorrow, thereby broadening Latvian researchers’ access to the European innovation landscape.
As the leading partner of the BioPhoT consortium, the Latvijas Organiskās sintēzes institūts recognises the platform’s practical value: it enables scientific ideas to reach investors and industry partners prepared to develop and implement them in practice. In the first call, eight projects led by institute researchers received funding; in the second, a further eight LIOS-led ideas successfully passed the industry selection stage and are now proceeding to evaluation by the Latvijas Zinātnes padome.
Another important advantage of BioPhoT is its Industry Challenge database, where companies such as Roche Latvia and Latvijas Mobilais Telefons, alongside international partners including ABB, GSK, Saint-Gobain and Skanska, define their technological needs. This creates meaningful opportunities for scientific ideas to engage with real market demand.
BioPhoT continues to grow in both capability and collaboration, and LIOS is proud to play its part in this process—supporting Latvian scientific ideas as they evolve into solutions of genuine economic significance.