Category: Notice

BioPhoT partner Riga Technical University is implementing the SINERGIA: Industrial Symbiosis Innovation Accelerator programme. BioPhoT scientists are invited to familiarise themselves with the programme conditions and to apply for an alternative source of funding in other RIs3 areas. More information on the programme can be found at: https://sinergia.lv/akselerators/ . Application deadline 8 August https://ej.uz/pietekties_SINERGIA!

Latvia's leading dairy processing companies AS Valmieras piens and AS Smiltenes piens are looking for partners who can offer solutions to two major challenges:

Processing of sour milk juice - each year, companies produce more than 20 000 tonnes of rennet, a liquid, chemically aggressive by-product with a complex composition, high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and low pH. This resource is currently under-utilised despite its potential for high value-added products. 

Flotation sludge management - flotation sludge from wastewater treatment contains significant amounts of organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus and trace elements. However, their use is currently severely limited due to technological, economic and regulatory barriers.

The Accelerator aims to develop solutions that turn these challenges into new resources or products with market potential. To help do this, the programme offers: 

- work on a real industry challenge

- develop your idea with business representatives;

- get financial support to develop your idea;

- receive expert training and mentoring.

Teams, companies or individuals with relevant knowledge and ideas are welcome to apply. 

The Latvian Science Council has completed the administrative evaluation of the second round of research and innovation project applications and 74 applications with high innovation potential have been submitted for scientific evaluation by foreign experts.

The projects represent 11 smart specialisation areas and 14 scientific fields, with a strong focus on engineering, life sciences and health research.

The projects demonstrate a strong focus on translational innovation - from medicine and pharmaceuticals to material sciences and digital technologies.

The University of Latvia, RTU - Riga Technical University and the Institute of Solid State Physics of the University of Latvia have the highest number of applications, with a broad coverage of topics and visible leadership, while providing a high-quality scientific framework.

Equally important and significant is the participation of the Institute of Organic Synthesis, Riga Stradiņš University, Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Institute of Electronics and Computer Science, Daugavpils University, LV Institute of Wood Chemistry and Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technologies, which provide specialised competences and high precision approach to specific scientific fields. This allows the development of research projects based on existing infrastructure and accumulated knowledge.

Thoughtful partnerships and active inter-institutional cooperation are important. Many applications can be implemented jointly between different institutions, thus ensuring more efficient use of resources, knowledge transfer and a multidisciplinary approach to research.

"The BioPhoT platform has compiled the first challenges defined by industry partners, which you are invited to read by downloading the annexes:

Pauls Stradins Clinical University Hospital

PSKUS_BioPhoTDownload at

EU Innovate Together initiative

EUInnovateTogether_R&I_BioPhoTDownload at

Cellbox Labs

Cellbox Labs BioPhotDownload at

Contacting the contact details provided will help you to find out about the specific requirements of the sectoral challenges and to decide whether your research experience, infrastructure and partners are suitable to address them in the next call for Research and Innovation.

Applications are now open for the second evaluation round of the Research and Innovation Projects (RIPs) call. The authors of the 79 PIP applications that have reached the qualification threshold in the first round of evaluation are invited to submit their full project applications for scientific evaluation by the expert panel of the Latvian Science Council.

Applications must be submitted by 11 July 2025 in the section "Open call for research and innovation projects 2025 of the Platform "Biomedical and Photonics Research Platform for Innovative Products" (BioPhoT)", (No IVPP-EM-Innovation-2024/1-0002) of the National Information System for Scientific Activities.

The second round of the call for proposals offers up to €200 000 per PIP. The duration of the projects is 12 months, with the possibility to extend the duration for a further 3 months without additional funding. Total funding of €6 million. In the event of a significant number of highly rated applications, the BioPhoT Platform Project Steering Group may decide to award additional funding of up to €2 million.

The competition rules are available on the BioPhoT website: https://biophot.lv/zinatniekiem/#nolikums

BioPhoT is coordinated by the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, 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, the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, the Scientific Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment "BIOR", Riga Stradins University and Riga Technical University. 

The project "Biomedical and Photonics Research Platform for Innovative Products" or "BioPhoT" is implemented under the National Research Programme "Innovation Fund - Long-term Research Programme". Platform number: IVPP-EM-Innovation-2024/1-0002. 

The first round of the BioPhoT Research and Innovation Projects (RIPs) call is now closed and 79 projects will be able to compete for funding. The projects that will receive a grant of up to €200,000 for their innovative ideas, out of a total of €6 million in public funding available for the competition, will be announced in September.  

"Health technology and diagnostic solutions, biomaterials and regenerative medicine, smart sensor systems, sustainable chemistry and circular economy approaches dominate the top-ranked applications. The technological diversity of the submitted projects demonstrates Latvia's research and innovation potential," commented Osvalds Pugovičs, BioPhoT Platform Manager said. 

The first BioPhoT RIP competition evaluated more than 120 applications in the areas of biomedicine, medical technologies, pharmaceuticals, photonics, smart materials and engineering systems for the Smart Specialisation Strategy or RIS3. Projects with 10 or more points and at least one point in each evaluation criterion are promoted to the second round.  

For three days, from 26 to 28 May, five independent industry and commercialisation experts from different countries -Irit Yaniv, M.D., MBA, healthcare business executive, investor and entrepreneur, Matīss Neimanis, Managing Partner and CEO of the venture capital fund and accelerator "Buildit Latvia",Barak Azmon, physician and founder and CEO of several medical start-ups,Peter Birk, life sciences executive, investor and adviser, andMartin Askne, a start-up coach, an innovation manager and a business angel - analysed the innovative potential and market relevance of the submitted ideas. 

"The teams were well prepared - they were able to fit in a 5-minute presentation and answer the questions concisely and accurately. The organisation was also excellent - everything went smoothly, even better than planned. All we experts had to do was focus on the presentation, the materials and make a decision. I believe that the platform will contribute to an excellent outcome!" commented panellist M. Neimanis. 

The experts highlighted that the technological diversity and thematic coverage of the applications reflect Latvia's scientific potential and are in line with the BioPhoT programme's aim to support early-stage technologies with high commercialisation potential in different scientific and economic sectors. A significant part of the Platform's funding is dedicated to developing the innovation skills of scientists. On 9 and 10 June, the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry will host a two-day seminar "Intellectual Property - From Idea to Patent and Beyond", which aims to provide researchers and IP professionals with in-depth knowledge on IP protection, patenting and commercialisation. All interested parties are welcome to attend the training organised by BioPhoT free of charge. 

"The BioPhoT programme aims to foster a shift from academic science to applied thinking - researchers need to be able to clearly identify the market potential for products or services at an early stage. This focus is essential to take innovations from the lab to the market. Despite the unusual presentation format, we saw that the RIP applicants demonstrated a high level of preparation and presented the market potential of their ideas in a convincing way. This was also particularly highlighted by the experts. After the first round of the RIP selection, it is already evident that Latvian research teams are able to demonstrate the innovative potential of their ideas and are aware of their applications or market niches," said O. Pugovičs. 

The second round of RIP evaluation will be followed by a scientific evaluation of the project applications by the expert panel of the Latvian Council for Science and the RIPs that will receive public funding for their implementation in the first BioPhoT call will be announced in September.  

The first call is part of a broader programme of BioPhoT platform activities, which will include two more calls for proposals by 2026. The total funding for innovation projects will exceed €12 million, while almost €5 million will be dedicated to improving scientists' innovation skills, including training on technology transfer, commercialisation and intellectual property protection. 

At least 35 new technologies are expected to be developed by 2032, some of which will reach the market demonstration or commercialisation stage. The long-term goal of the Platform is to strengthen Latvia's science and innovation system and promote technology-intensive entrepreneurship. 

BioPhoT is coordinated by the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, 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, the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, the Scientific Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment "BIOR", Riga Stradins University and Riga Technical University. 

The project "Biomedical and Photonics Research Platform for Innovative Products" or "BioPhoT" is implemented under the National Research Programme "Innovation Fund - Long-term Research Programme". Platform number: IVPP-EM-Innovation-2024/1-0002. 

The first round of the BioPhoT Research and Innovation Project (RIP) call has been completed and 79 RIP applications will be submitted to the second round of the Latvian Science Council's expert review.

For three days, from 26 to 28 May, 117 BioPhoT Research and Innovation Project (RIP) applications were evaluated by a panel of industry and commercialisation experts. Today, 30 May pthe results of the evaluation were approved by the latformas Project Management Group.

In order to qualify for the second evaluation round, according to the Tender Rules, a PIP application had to have a consolidated score of 10 points or more and could not have scored less than 1 point in any of the evaluation criteria.

The average score for PIP applications is 12.4 points, with the highest score of 17.6 points and the lowest score of 6.2 points. Of the PIP applications received, 25 did not reach the required 10 points. 13 RIP applications did not score 1 point in any of the evaluation criteria, although the total score exceeded 10 points.

In accordance with the competition rules, each PIP leader will receive an evaluation of his/her application by email to the email address provided in the application. Information on the deadline for the second round of PIP applications will be available on the BioPhoT homepage and on the platform's Linkedin profile.

First round PIP assessment

#	PIP ID	Overall rating, pand	Qualified for Round 2, Yes/No
1	35	17,6	Yes
2	39	17,2	Yes
3	53	17,2	Yes
4	59	17,2	Yes
5	54	16,6	Yes
6	82	16,6	Yes
7	113	16,6	Yes
8	31	16,4	Yes
9	32	16,2	Yes
10	26	16,0	Yes
11	92	16,0	Yes
12	102	16,0	Yes
13	109	16,0	Yes
14	40	15,8	Yes
15	47	15,8	Yes
16	21	15,6	Yes
17	2	15,4	Yes
18	95	15,4	Yes
19	65	15,2	Yes
20	16	15,2	Yes
21	45	15,2	Yes
22	107	15,2	Yes
23	4	14,8	Yes
24	5	14,8	Yes
25	73	14,8	Yes
26	63	14,8	Yes
27	119	14,6	Yes
28	1	14,4	Yes
29	78	14,4	Yes
30	58	14,2	Yes
31	62	14,2	Yes
32	74	14,2	Yes
33	20	14,0	Yes
34	71	14,0	Yes
35	97	14,0	Yes
36	106	14,0	Yes
37	66	13,8	Yes
38	43	13,6	Yes
39	69	13,6	Yes
40	60	13,6	Yes
41	77	13,6	Yes
42	37	13,4	Yes
43	64	13,4	Yes
44	110	13,4	Yes
45	80	13,2	Yes
46	72	13,0	Yes
47	48	13,0	Yes
48	99	13,0	Yes
49	100	13,0	Yes
50	30	13,0	Yes
51	22	12,8	Yes
52	121	12,8	Yes
53	13	12,8	Yes
54	90	12,8	Yes
55	14	12,6	Yes
56	3	12,6	Yes
57	28	12,4	Yes
58	75	12,4	Yes
59	105	12,4	Yes
60	19	12,2	Yes
61	50	12,2	Yes
62	94	12,2	From
63	23	12,0	Yes
64	17	11,8	Yes
65	56	11,8	Yes
66	81	11,8	From
67	33	11,6	From
68	70	11,6	Yes
69	85	11,4	Yes
70	11	11,2	Yes
71	15	11,2	Yes
72	18	11,2	From
73	24	11,2	Yes
74	84	11,2	Yes
75	86	11,2	From
76	120	11,2	Yes
77	7	11,0	Yes
78	8	11,0	Yes
79	49	11,0	Yes
80	67	11,0	Yes
81	91	11,0	Yes
82	34	11,0	Yes
83	114	10,8	Yes
84	101	10,6	From
85	87	10,6	From
86	103	10,6	Yes
87	68	10,4	From
88	76	10,4	From
89	111	10,4	From
90	42	10,2	From
91	89	10,2	From
92	83	10,0	From
93	44	9,8	From
94	51	9,8	From
95	55	9,8	From
96	79	9,8	From
97	88	9,8	From
98	93	9,8	From
99	108	9,8	From
100	115	9,8	From
101	118	9,8	From
102	104	9,6	From
103	6	9,4	From
104	46	9,4	From
105	57	9,4	From
106	41	9,4	From
107	116	9,4	From
108	122	9,4	From
109	38	9,2	From
110	25	9,0	From
111	27	9,0	From
112	29	9,0	From
113	117	9,0	From
114	98	8,6	From
115	52	8,2	From
116	9	7,6	From
117	112	6,2	From

PIP applicants who have received a positive decision on their compliance with the qualitative evaluation criteria should send their presentations to the Industry Panel by 21 May at 23.59 in .ppt or .pptx format to the email address biophot@osi.lv.

As a reminder, the Round 1 Industry Panel must use the BioPhoT presentation template, which can be found on the platform's website.

On 8 May, the first BioPhoT call for Research and Innovation Projects (RIPs) closed. Over 122 RIP applications were received. The first round of evaluations has started, with short presentations to a panel of experts in late May and the final results of the second round expected in early October.

"The number of applications we have received shows the relevance and importance of such a funding platform. 77 applications came from university researchers, 45 from research institutes. Most of the applications were submitted by BioPhoT platform members, but applications were also received from Daugavpils University and Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technologies research groups," says the platform's leader, Osvalds Pugovičs, Deputy Director of the Latvian Organic Synthesis Institute (OSI).

This call gave scientists and industry in the fields of biomedicine, medical technology, pharmaceuticals, photonics, smart materials and the Smart Specialisation Strategy for Engineering Systems, or RIS3, the opportunity to apply for a share of a total €6 million in funding from the national budget.

In accordance with the Rules of Procedure, the applications received will be evaluated in accordance with the administrative criteria. The evaluation of administratively eligible RIP applications will take place in two rounds. In the first round, an independent panel of experts will analyse the innovative potential of the submitted ideas and their compliance with market requirements, while in the second round, experts selected by the Latvian Council of Science will carry out scientific expertise.

Short presentations of the RIPs submitted to the first call for proposals will take place from 26 to 28 May at the Moon hall of Science and Innovation Centre of Riga Technical University, Kipsalas iela 6A. The list of the order of presentations will be available on 21 May. All applicants should send their presentations by 21 May inclusive.

The first round of RIP applications will be evaluated by five industry and commercialisation experts. The competition offers up to €200,000 per approved project, with a 12-month implementation period, extendable by three months.

The first call is part of a broader programme of BioPhoT platform activities, which will include two more calls for proposals by 2026. The total funding for innovation projects will exceed €12 million, while almost €5 million will be dedicated to improving scientists' innovation skills, including training on technology transfer, commercialisation and intellectual property protection.

At least 35 new technologies are expected to be developed by 2032, some of which will reach the market demonstration or commercialisation stage. The long-term goal of the Platform is to strengthen Latvia's science and innovation system and promote technology-intensive entrepreneurship.

BioPhoT is coordinated by OSI 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, the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, the Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment Research Institute "BIOR", Riga Stradins University and Riga Technical University.

The project "Biomedical and Photonics Research Platform for Innovative Products" or "BioPhoT" is implemented under the National Research Programme "Innovation Fund - Long-term Research Programme". Platform number: IVPP-EM-Innovation-2024/1-0002.

Additional meeting times are available for BioPhoT participants who have registered for the mentoring talks by 25 April. These one-to-one calls are intended to discuss the pitch presentations prepared and to receive feedback from the mentors after the submission of the project application on 8 May.

Please note: The additional meeting times are only open to participants who have registered for the mentoring talks by 25 April. Bookings can be made using the link to the booking page sent in the email.