LATVIJAS INVESTICIJU UN ATTISTIBASAGENTURA

Their core work

Latvia's Investment and Development Agency (LIAA) is the national government body responsible for boosting business competitiveness and attracting foreign investment. Within H2020, LIAA operated as the national contact point helping Latvian SMEs access the SME Instrument and later the EIC Pilot — providing key account management, coaching, and innovation capacity building. Their work is not research but rather public-sector innovation support: identifying promising Latvian companies, guiding them through EU funding applications, and strengthening their innovation management capabilities.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

LIAA's focus has been remarkably consistent across its H2020 participation, running essentially the same national support program in successive funding cycles (2015–2021). The early projects (2015–2016) emphasized broad innovation capacity and SME Instrument access, while the later projects (2019–2021) added explicit key account manager methodology and adapted to the transition from SME Instrument to the EIC Pilot. The evolution reflects not a change in mission but a maturation of delivery methods — moving from general capacity building to structured, personalized account management for innovative companies.

LIAA is tracking the EU's shift from SME Instrument to EIC and will likely continue as Latvia's primary gateway for SMEs seeking European Innovation Council funding.

How they like to work

LIAA operates almost exclusively as a project coordinator — all four H2020 projects were led by them. Their consortium structure is minimal, with only one unique partner from one country, reflecting the national scope of their mandate. This is not a typical research consortium builder but a government agency running nationally-focused support actions; partnering with LIAA means accessing Latvia's official innovation support infrastructure rather than joining a diverse research network.

LIAA's H2020 network is extremely narrow — just 1 unique partner from 1 country — reflecting the nationally-scoped nature of their Coordination and Support Actions. They are not a networking hub but a national implementation body.

What sets them apart

LIAA is Latvia's official investment and development agency, giving it unmatched access to the national SME ecosystem. For anyone looking to reach innovative Latvian companies or understand the Latvian innovation landscape, LIAA is the institutional gatekeeper. Their value lies not in technical research but in their role as the government-backed bridge between Latvian businesses and EU innovation funding instruments.

Highlights from their portfolio

• InnoSME-LV-2020-2021
  The final and most mature iteration of their program, incorporating the EIC Pilot transition and refined key account management methodology developed over three previous cycles.
• InnoSME-LV-2015-2016
  The founding project that established LIAA's role as Latvia's SME Instrument support body, setting the template for six years of continuous EU-funded innovation support.