VALSTS IZGLITIBAS ATTISTIBAS AGENTURA

Their core work

VIAA is Latvia's State Education Development Agency, the national body responsible for managing and distributing research and innovation funding in Latvia. In H2020, they served as the Latvian funding agency partner in dozens of ERA-NET Cofund actions, committing national funds to joint transnational research calls across health, energy, materials, environment, and quantum technologies. They also operated as Latvia's National Contact Point network for Horizon 2020 and organized the European Researchers' Night in Latvia, making them the central gateway between Latvian researchers and European research programmes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2014–2017, VIAA focused on building Latvia's connectivity to European research: hosting the WIRE 2015 conference during Latvia's EU presidency, establishing NCP networks (Idealist, NCP_WIDE.NET), and joining foundational ERA-NETs in health and forestry. From 2018 onward, participation shifted toward deeper thematic engagement — quantum technologies (QuantERA), FET Flagships (FLAG-ERA III), antimicrobial resistance, circular economy, and socio-ecological systems research, reflecting a move from infrastructure-building to strategic research priority alignment.

VIAA is moving from broad participation in ERA-NETs toward targeted investment in quantum technologies, personalised medicine, and sustainability transitions — signalling Latvia's maturing national research priorities.

How they like to work

VIAA almost exclusively participates as a partner (45 of 48 projects), which is typical for a national funding agency in ERA-NET actions — their role is to co-fund transnational calls, not to lead the research itself. With 485 unique consortium partners across 58 countries, they operate as a wide-reaching network node connecting Latvian researchers to pan-European funding opportunities. Their two coordinator roles (WIRE2015 conference and Researchers' Night) were nationally-focused events, not research consortia.

Exceptionally broad network of 485 partners across 58 countries, a direct consequence of participating in large ERA-NET consortia that typically include 20-30 national funding agencies each. Geographic reach spans all EU member states and several associated countries.

What sets them apart

VIAA is Latvia's primary gateway to European transnational research funding — if you need a Latvian funding partner for an ERA-NET or joint programming initiative, they are essentially the only option. Their value lies not in technical expertise but in their ability to commit Latvian national co-funding to joint calls and to connect you with Latvia's research community. For consortium builders targeting Widening Country participation, VIAA is a well-connected and experienced institutional partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• WIRE2015
  Largest single grant (€248,900) and coordinator role — organized the Week of Innovative Regions in Europe during Latvia's 2015 EU Council Presidency.
• QuantERA
  High-profile ERA-NET Cofund in quantum technologies with €217K funding — signals Latvia's commitment to emerging deep-tech research areas.
• M-ERA.NET 2
  Materials research ERA-NET with nearly €200K — one of VIAA's most substantial thematic investments, covering the full innovation chain from basic research to application.