Latvia boosts research and innovation capacity for pioneering drug research
The EU-funded INNOVABALT project set out to unlock LIOS’s potential within the European Research Area (ERA). It drew up an action plan that put forward specific actions to ensure the future sustainability of LIOS. The exchange of know-how and experience with 50 EU partnering organisations led to long-lasting scientific collaborations and strategic partnerships. In total, 62 incoming and 76 outgoing visits to partner institutions were carried out. Human capacity was strengthened by recruiting 12 experienced and 7 postdoctoral researchers, 6 of whom were Latvian researchers that previously worked at leading European research institutions. This helped to offset the brain drain, long considered a threat to LIOS. Reinforcing human potential greatly increased the total output of publications. Researchers published 34 scientific articles in leading journals. They also submitted 22 proposals for Horizon 2020 calls. Four were successful in securing funding. LIOS has already participated in 19 different collaborative research projects, generating over EUR 2 million in new funding for LIOS. Research equipment was upgraded, including seven devices and systems that will strengthen LIOS infrastructure in nanotechnology, protein crystallography, imaging in living animals in real time, fluorescent spectroscopy and computing. The visibility of LIOS was further enhanced at regional, national and EU levels through the organisation of 12 international events in Latvia, and regular participation and exploitation of research results at conferences, information days and brokerage events. Project partners elaborated a strategic intellectual property (IP) development plan for IP management and innovation capability building. The LIOS patent portfolio was updated and strengthened, and an IP manager was initially recruited and continues to be employed by LIOS. Thanks to INNOVABALT, LIOS is poised to become an active player in the ERA while bolstering its multidisciplinary research capacities, management of IP and human resources. This should contribute positively to the socioeconomic development of the Baltic region overall.
Keywords
Research and innovation, drug research, Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, INNOVABALT
