NODIBINAJUMS BALTIC STUDIES CENTRE

Their core work

Baltic Studies Centre is a Latvian research foundation specializing in rural development, agricultural knowledge systems, and the social dimensions of food and farming policy in Europe. Their work focuses on understanding how small farms, rural communities, and food supply chains function — particularly in the context of digitisation, advisory services, and rural-urban linkages. They bring a social science lens to agricultural and rural policy questions, contributing qualitative research, participatory methods, and policy analysis to large European consortia. More recently, they have expanded into inclusive urban wellbeing and responsible innovation frameworks.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2015–2019, BSC focused squarely on agricultural economics and food systems — sustainable finance for farming (SUFISA), small farm viability (SALSA), peer learning in agriculture (PLAID), and rural-urban dynamics (ROBUST). From 2019 onward, their work shifted toward digitisation, responsible innovation, and social inclusion, with DESIRA introducing RRI frameworks and scenario labs, and IN-HABIT moving them into urban wellbeing territory entirely outside agriculture. This trajectory suggests a broadening from agricultural social science toward a wider mandate in territorial development and inclusive innovation.

BSC is evolving from a purely agricultural social science institute toward broader territorial development and social innovation, making them increasingly relevant for projects on digital transitions, urban-rural equity, and inclusive governance.

How they like to work

BSC operates exclusively as a participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, which positions them as a reliable consortium partner rather than a project leader. With 117 unique partners across 30 countries from just 8 projects, they work in large, multi-country consortia (averaging ~15 partners per project). This wide network and consistent participant role suggest they are valued for their Baltic/Eastern European perspective and social science methodology rather than for project management capacity.

BSC has built a remarkably broad network for its size — 117 unique partners across 30 countries from only 8 projects. Their reach is pan-European, likely providing a Baltic and Eastern European perspective that large Western-led consortia often need for geographic balance.

What sets them apart

BSC offers something specific: social science expertise on rural and food systems from a Baltic perspective, in a research landscape dominated by Western European institutions. Latvia's agricultural structure — characterised by many small farms and ongoing rural transformation — gives BSC firsthand context that desk-based Western institutes cannot replicate. Their recent move into digitisation impacts and inclusive urbanism makes them a versatile partner for projects needing both agricultural roots and social innovation capacity.

Highlights from their portfolio

• IN-HABIT
  Their largest project by far (EUR 650K), and a strategic departure from agriculture into inclusive urban wellbeing — signals a deliberate expansion of their research mandate.
• DESIRA
  Introduced responsible innovation frameworks and scenario labs to assess rural digitisation — marks their pivot toward digital transition research.
• SALSA
  Core to their identity as small farm and food security researchers, directly relevant to EU food policy debates on the future of small-scale farming.