EU ageing population creates demand for more attention in healthcare and puts high burden on society in terms of costs and loss of quality of life. Significant part of clinical cases is connected with musculoskeletal disabilities, where implants based on new technologies offer opportunities for lower costs, due to lower amount or revision operations, lower cost of implants and higher performance. Scientifically, research into biomaterials is done through new techniques, development of new biocompatible materials, additive manufacturing, drug and biomolecule delivery, etc., where research excellence is spread between different organisations specialized in different steps of implant development, leading to lack of collaboration, coordination, fragmentation of funding, and duplication of research projects and infrastructure. Although research excellence in Latvia is low and Latvia is performing well below EU-average, there is potential in good infrastructure, good existing collaboration between different institutes, international collaboration and alignment with RIS3 (Smart Specialisation Strategy). BBCE project ́s objective is to establish a joint Baltic Biomaterials Centre of Excellence for advanced biomaterials development based on the long-term strategic cooperation between Riga Technical University (RTU), Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis (LIOS), Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) and LTD “Rīgas Stradiņa universitātes Stomatoloģijas institūts” (RSU IS) on the one hand and AO Research Institute Davos, Switzerland and Friedrich- Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany on the other hand. Activities of BBCE will provide an opportunity to combine existing expertise and infrastructure, to create critical mass and excel in development of solutions for biomedical applications, as described in business plan of BBCE. Significant impact of BBCE on all national partners is foreseen in development of infrastructure, strengthening research excellence, cooperation ability with industry and valorization intensity. BBCE project will improve Latvia’s and hence also the EU’s research excellence, which is expressed as the Composite indicator of Research Excellence. Project's overall approach is to build the centre of excellence in the field of biomaterials research and development.
