On 20 March, the RTU Science and Innovation Centre hosted the “BioPhoT Radar” event, bringing together more than 80 Latvian scientists and industry representatives.
The aim of the event was to foster collaboration between scientists and entrepreneurs, enabling a better mutual understanding of each other’s capabilities and needs to drive the development of new solutions and promising projects in biomedicine and photonics in Latvia.
During the “Idea Sprint”, scientists presented their innovative ideas concisely, while industry representatives discussed them and outlined the key topics and challenges relevant to their fields.
The “BioPhoT Radar” event is part of the “BioPhoT” project – a state-funded long-term investment in cutting-edge Latvian scientific projects, aimed at developing new, competitive solutions in biomedicine, medicine, pharmaceuticals, photonics, smart materials, electronics, and engineering systems.
“BioPhoT” introduces a novel approach to the allocation of state funding, ensuring more targeted support for innovative projects in the fields of biomedicine and photonics technologies. The funding allocation process will prioritise market demand, industry support, and interest in technology development. The selection process will begin with presentations to an industry expert panel, which will conduct the initial evaluation and help identify the most promising innovations.
Project implementation must not exceed 12 months, with a maximum funding allocation of €200,000 per idea. Special emphasis is placed on increasing the technology readiness level (TRL). Participants will also receive regular mentorship support to refine and enhance their research and project focus.
The first call for project applications under the “BioPhoT” platform will be announced soon, inviting researchers from relevant fields to apply.
The “BioPhoT” initiative is coordinated by the Institute of Organic Synthesis and implemented by the Institute of Electronics and Computer Science, the Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, the University of Latvia, the Institute of Solid State Physics at the University of Latvia, the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, the Institute for Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment “BIOR”, Riga Stradiņš University, and Riga Technical University.
The “Biomedical and Photonics Research Platform for the Creation of Innovative Products” (“BioPhoT”) is being implemented under the State Research Programme “Innovation Fund – Long-Term Research Programme”. Platform ID: IVPP-EM-Innovation-2024/1-0002.