LATVIJAS ZINATNU AKADEMIJA

Their core work

The Latvian Academy of Sciences (LZA) is Latvia's principal national scientific institution, serving as a policy advisory body and coordinator of national research funding programmes. In H2020, LZA primarily acted as a national funding agency representative in ERA-NET Cofund actions, aligning Latvian research funding with European initiatives across health, energy, and agriculture. Their role is institutional — connecting Latvia's research community to pan-European funding networks — rather than performing hands-on laboratory research.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

LZA's H2020 participation was concentrated in 2014-2016 and focused almost entirely on ERA-NET Cofund actions representing Latvia in pan-European funding alignment. The later projects (ERANet SmartGridPlus, 4D4F) suggest a shift toward applied topics — energy systems and precision agriculture — compared to the earlier pure health research ERA-NETs. However, the small number of projects makes it difficult to identify a definitive trend.

LZA appears to be broadening from health-only ERA-NET participation toward applied domains like smart energy and digital agriculture, but activity tapered off after 2016.

How they like to work

LZA exclusively participates as a partner, never as coordinator, which is consistent with its role as a national funding body joining ERA-NET consortia. With 77 unique partners across 28 countries from just 4 projects, their network is exceptionally wide — a natural result of large ERA-NET consortia that bring together dozens of national agencies. Working with LZA means gaining a gateway to Latvia's national research funding landscape.

Despite only 4 projects, LZA has collaborated with 77 partners across 28 countries — a reflection of the large multi-national ERA-NET consortia they join. Their network spans nearly all EU member states, making them well-connected institutionally across Europe.

What sets them apart

LZA is not a typical research performer — it is Latvia's national academy of sciences, making it a gateway to the country's entire research ecosystem. For consortium builders, partnering with LZA provides institutional legitimacy and access to Latvian national co-funding in ERA-NET actions. Their cross-sector breadth (health, energy, agriculture) reflects a national mandate rather than narrow specialization.

Highlights from their portfolio

• 4D4F
  Only project where LZA received direct EC funding (EUR 49,812), and a departure from their ERA-NET pattern into applied dairy farming data analytics.
• ERANet SmartGridPlus
  Represents LZA's entry into energy sector coordination, supporting cross-regional knowledge sharing on smart grids and renewable integration.