LATVIJAS ZINATNES PADOME

Their core work

The Latvian Council of Science (LZP) is Latvia's national research funding agency responsible for administering competitive research grants and coordinating Latvia's participation in transnational research programmes. In H2020, LZP's primary role has been co-funding joint transnational calls through ERA-NET Cofund instruments, channeling national funding into coordinated European research across health, environment, food, energy, and emerging technologies. They serve as Latvia's gateway into pan-European research funding networks, aligning national research priorities with EU-wide strategic agendas and enabling Latvian researchers to access multinational collaborative projects.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the earlier period (2016–2019), LZP's ERA-NET involvement focused on established domains: forestry bioeconomy, FET Flagships (Graphene, Human Brain Project), rare diseases, and personalized medicine. From 2020 onward, their portfolio shifted toward Green Deal priorities — circular economy, ecosystem restoration, materials and battery technologies, energy digitalization — alongside continued health programming and new engagement in quantum technologies and digital humanities (CHANSE). This evolution mirrors the EU's own strategic pivot from Horizon 2020's broad research agenda toward mission-oriented, sustainability-driven programming.

LZP is expanding its transnational funding portfolio toward Green Deal-aligned topics (materials, batteries, circular economy, biodiversity restoration) and quantum technologies, signaling Latvia's strategic research investment priorities for Horizon Europe.

How they like to work

LZP participates exclusively as a partner — never as coordinator — which is typical for national funding agencies in ERA-NET consortia where coordination usually falls to larger Western European counterparts. With 304 unique partners across 50 countries, they operate within the broadest possible European funding networks, connecting to virtually every major research funding body on the continent. This makes them an essential entry point for any organization wanting to include Latvian researchers in a transnational call or seeking co-funding from Latvian national programmes.

LZP's network spans 304 organizations across 50 countries — one of the widest networks possible, reflecting the nature of ERA-NET consortia that bring together funding agencies from across Europe and beyond. Their partners are predominantly other national funding agencies, research councils, and ministries across the EU and associated countries.

What sets them apart

LZP is not a research performer — it is Latvia's national research funding authority, making it fundamentally different from universities or research institutes. For consortium builders, partnering with LZP means accessing Latvia's national research funding budget for co-funded transnational calls. Their participation in 19 ERA-NET Cofunds across nearly every thematic area makes them one of the most broadly engaged Baltic funding agencies in H2020.

Highlights from their portfolio

• M-ERA.NET3
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 289K) — covers advanced materials and battery technologies aligned with the European Green Deal, representing LZP's biggest thematic investment.
• TRANSCAN-3
  Second-largest funding (EUR 257K) for sustained transnational cancer research coordination, indicating health remains a top national priority for Latvia.
• QuantERA II
  Represents Latvia's strategic entry into quantum technologies (communication, computing, sensing) — a forward-looking bet on an emerging field.