Andris Anspoks, Director, Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia
Science cannot remain within the walls of laboratories. Outstanding achievements are not enough if they go unnoticed and unheard. Today's science needs clear, persuasive and impactful communication - the kind that can reach not only colleagues at conferences, but also politicians, business and every member of society. Because only when the public and decision-makers truly understand the impact of science can we make progress that brings real change to Latvia.
Solid State University of Latvia Physics The Institute (LU CFI) has experienced rapid growth in the last 8 years, with a tripling of financial turnover, a quintupling of international project funding and the birth of five start-ups. Today, the CFI is a world-class science centre with state-of-the-art infrastructure and a national nanotechnology centre. We are not only creating new knowledge, which is the source of all new ideas, but we are a development partner for a range of industries around the world. We are creating new technologies and using the power of science to tackle global challenges in new materials, innovative technologies and applications: electronics and photonics, energy harvesting and storage, and biomedicine. All of this is in the service of better displays, faster internet, more efficient batteries and better medicines, for example.
One might wonder what photonics is, which is what our institute does so much of. It is everything to do with light. From creating it - from shiny pixels on screens to lasers - to transforming it, for example by making invisible radiation visible, to detecting it - from a pixel in a camera to a detector in a medical CT scanner, or the smart lenses that many spectacle owners dream of.
But one thing is clear: science is not enough. We, as scientists, can no longer just work in the lab and communicate in a primarily research environment. The public needs to understand what we do and how it affects their lives. More importantly, business and policy makers need to understand this too. They need to know what is being decided, for example in the national budget. Why should basic science be supported? Because that is where big ideas are born! At the same time, scientists need to be taught to talk to business, and business needs to be taught to talk to science, because that is what drives growth. That's why we organise regular meetings with industry, building mutual understanding and looking for challenges that we can solve with our ideas.
It is through this dialogue that solutions have emerged that have already gone global: the fastest infrared light sensor, manufactured by Thorlabs in Germany; our own start-up CellBox Labs, which is creating a whole new industry in Latvia, changing the way new medicines are developed. Our deep knowledge of spectroscopy has led to a new device that can monitor water quality in fish farms, desalination plants or the environment. The start-ups that have grown out of our Institute are already attracting millions in investment and collaborating with global companies.
Latvia's outstanding technology companies are also our long-term clients. To mention a few examples, Groglass, which makes 2 x 3 metre invisible glass; Lightguide International and CeramOptec, which make fibre optic products for industrial and medical applications such as venous laser surgery; Baltic Scientific Instruments, which develops radiation detectors and systems. Latvia has a serious world-class industry that we are on a mission to support. All these companies not only export, but are world market leaders in their field.
When the President of Latvia visits the Institute, it is much more than just another visit. When the President looks at the prototype "organ-on-a-chip" created by Latvian researchers and hears how this technology can help treat cancer or other diseases, a clear message about the importance of science can travel further, even to government and society. The President's presence here lends legitimacy, visibility and credibility to our work, not only in the scientific community, but also in the eyes of business, investors and the wider public. The President, as the highest representative of the State, is also a guarantor of credibility - if he sees value in science, then so does the businessman, the student, the teacher.
Such visits are a megaphone for what science does on a daily basis - and that is what we need more of. It is a signal that Latvia is moving towards an economy based on innovation, underpinned by long-term scientific development. Because only such a country, regardless of its priority sectors, will be globally competitive, independent in its growth and able to develop almost any major field of activity.
Science - not a closed laboratory, but an open platform for society
The development of the CFI is not an accident - it is a purposeful and systematic effort, based on the passion of scientists, international collaboration, expertise and the courage to always move forward. Our development is based on a clear vision to be a world-class research centre based on innovation and applications, and in recent years we have created an attractive working environment so that young and future scientists from Latvia and the best universities abroad want to work here. This is the transformation of Latvia's science ecosystem in practice. Innovation development is also a systematic process, where we discuss with each research group those ideas that have practical application. Then we test them against market requirements, and take the most promising ones forward. Collaboration is power - that's what we believe, because only by bringing together the best minds across Europe can we meet today's challenges. Industry is an essential partner in this process, knowing the practicalities and real requirements of all these challenges.
But for such developments to become the norm, not only at the UL CFI but also at other research centres in Latvia, systematic political attention, science communication as a priority and long-term investment programmes are needed. I am very pleased that a long-term programme for the commercialisation of scientific results has been established in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy. Only systematic work can produce results. All the examples I mentioned before would not have been possible without LIAA programmes that allowed ideas to be developed to the point where they were taken up by companies or investors. This is not possible with science projects because it is no longer science. We have such a programme now, where, on my initiative, we have joined forces with the Institute of Organic Synthesis in one platform - BioPhoT. All our major universities and institutes are working together. The first steps already show that we have great ideas in Latvia. Now we just need to go further, build strategic partnerships with Latvian and European industry and focus on ideas with big impact. Our task is to involve Latvian industry in this process, with all its challenges.
What can we do today?
Latvian science has already proved its worth. Now is the time to see it, trust it and support it. Because it is only when politics and society stand on the side of science that true excellence emerges - the kind that not only changes a country's economy, but also improves the quality of life for each and every one of us. And it's not just software, apps or robots, but new materials, technologies and devices. It is material-based innovation that has a deeper impact on the economy because it has wider value chains.
Recently, we have seen intensive efforts to develop the defence industry. Here again, I think BioPhoT is a good platform to develop the competences and generate new ideas needed for this sector. I invite the Ministry of Defence to join in and develop this area. Without long-term programmes, we will not have serious products based on our ideas.
Policies should position science as a driver of development, not a cost burden. Science is not just about academic publications - it's about competitive economies, smart people, a smart environment, sustainability and public health.
Science needs to be talked about in a clear way. We need to explain what "nanotechnology" or "photonics" means in everyday life. How does it help the patient, the entrepreneur, the student? This is how we engage the wider public in science, from motivating young people to study physics, chemistry or biology, to trusting solutions in climate, health or innovation.
Science must be supported financially in the long term. The new discoveries we enjoy today had their beginnings as new scientific ideas a decade or more ago. For this reason, we need to remember the importance of basic research: it is where ideas that change the world are born. That is why the Latvian Research Council's basic and applied project grants are so important. And we must continue to fully support the BioPhoT innovation development programme, which brings together the entire Latvian science ecosystem.
