In order to sustain its competitive advantages in drug discovery, Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis (LIOS) needs closely to follow new trends and consequently upgrade the competencies in drug discovery. As a result of revealing untapped biological resources, advances in genome mining and engineering, and the availability of powerful analytical tools, natural products (NPs) as drug leads have revitalized the interest of pharma industry. Sourcing of NPs with high molecular diversity and wide spectrum of biological activity would strongly synergize with the existing LIOS competencies in drug discovery. This would constitute an efficient engine to develop new technologies and products with high innovation potential not only for the pharma industry but also for agricultural and animal health industries.
The aim of the project is to foster innovation excellence at LIOS by the establishment of Natural Products Research (NPR) group and implementation of LIOS Innovation Hub as a complementary structural change.
To reach the expected project outcomes and impact, the following objectives have been set:
O1 Establishment of the NPR group, including its capacity build-up;
O2 Setting up the research directions of the NPR group with a focus on new technologies and products;
O3 Integration of activities of the NPR group into internal and external collaborative projects including 3I mobility;
O4 Increase competitiveness for attraction of external research funding;
O5 Establishment of the LIOS Innovation Hub and its integration into institutional, national, and EU ecosystems;
O6 Development of a motivating and inclusive institutional environment, which fosters innovations and entrepreneurial culture;
O7 Enabling institutional compliance to ERA priorities and UN Sustainable Development Goals;
O8 Dissemination and exploitation of the results of the NPR group according to PEDR and a communication plan.
The establishment of the NPR group, the international recruitment, as well as the development of environment fostering innovations will nurture brain circulation for researchers and innovators. The establishment of the LIOS Innovation Hub and its integration into institutional, national, and EU ecosystems will deliver institutional reforms with a focus on innovation. Setting up new research directions and integrating the NPR group into internal and external collaboration networks under the competent guidance of the ERA Chair will leverage excellence of R&I and increase the competitiveness for attraction of external research funding. Better communication of R&I results to society will be achieved by dissemination and exploitation of the project results.
