ZEMGALES PLANOSANAS REGIONS

Their core work

Zemgale Planning Region (ZPR) is a Latvian regional public authority responsible for spatial and strategic planning across the Zemgale region. In EU research projects, they function as a real-world implementation ground and governance actor — bringing regional policy levers, land-use authority, and community networks to test and validate approaches developed by research partners. Their contributions center on regional governance, stakeholder engagement across public-private-civic sectors (the "quintuple helix"), and translating research outputs into actionable regional adaptation or energy planning measures. They are not a research producer but a practice partner that grounds EU projects in the realities of a mid-sized Baltic agricultural region.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (2016-2018), ZPR was involved in capacity-building for public authorities on integrated energy and spatial planning — a relatively technical, top-down policy training exercise with no recorded thematic keywords. By their second project (2021-2025), the focus had shifted substantially toward community-centred climate adaptation: co-creation processes, behavioural change, quintuple helix governance, and nature-based solutions dominate the keyword profile. This shift mirrors a broader EU policy turn from efficiency-focused energy planning toward participatory, community-resilient climate action.

ZPR is moving toward projects that combine territorial governance with community co-design and nature-based climate responses, making them a strong fit for future Horizon Europe missions on climate-resilient regions and local green transitions.

How they like to work

ZPR participates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have never coordinated an H2020 project — which reflects their role as a practitioner body rather than a research leader. Despite only two projects, they have accumulated 51 unique consortium partners across 11 countries, suggesting they join large, multi-partner Innovation Actions and Coordination and Support Actions where regional authorities are needed as implementation or validation sites. Working with them means gaining a credible Baltic regional government as a practice partner, local policy access, and regional community networks — not a research team that drives scientific output.

ZPR has connected with 51 distinct consortium partners across 11 countries — an unusually broad network for an organisation with only two projects, indicating participation in large, geographically diverse consortia. Their network likely spans Western and Northern European research institutions, other regional authorities, and urban climate or energy agencies.

What sets them apart

ZPR is one of the few Latvian regional planning authorities with verified H2020 experience, giving them a rare combination of EU project credibility and territorial governance mandate in a Baltic agricultural region. For consortium builders needing a regional public authority from the Baltic states — particularly for projects touching land use, rural climate adaptation, or public sector energy planning — ZPR fills a geographic and institutional gap that is hard to replicate. Their move toward quintuple helix and co-creation methods also positions them beyond a token "public body" role into genuine participatory governance expertise.

Highlights from their portfolio

• IMPETUS
  The largest project by far at €436,750 EC funding (2021-2025), covering cutting-edge themes of climate resilience, nature-based solutions, and co-creation — representing ZPR's most substantive and recent EU engagement.
• INTENSSS-PA
  ZPR's entry into H2020 as a public authority test site for integrating energy, spatial, and socioeconomic planning — establishing their track record in EU-funded territorial sustainability work.