Project title: Consolidation of the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis and the Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre

Project Identification No.: 5.2.1.1.i.0/2/24/I/CFLA/001

Period: December 8, 2023 – May 31, 2026

Total Project Funding: EUR 10 871 594.00

Principal Investigator: Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis

Cooperation partner: Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre

Project summary:

The strategic goal of merging the two most successful biomedical research organizations in Latvia in the medium term (3-5 years) is to create an outstanding life sciences institute that will organically combine the scientific activities and development goals of OSI and BMC. The consolidation envisages the gradual harmonization of OSI and BMC operations and processes, as well as the unification of human resources, to establish a single derived public entity based on OSI and BMC by May 31, 2026. During the consolidation process, structural changes are planned to enhance the quality of higher education and science, increase the efficiency and sharing of resource investments, and promote international scientific competitiveness by combining OSI and BMC.

The tasks set for the consolidation activities cover four main areas of action:

• Research program and scientific excellence in the scientific directions of OSI and BMC;
• Support tools for promoting the career growth of academic staff and solutions for fostering collaboration with universities, considering that the new academic career model envisions the integration of scientific and academic work, including fostering cooperation with universities;
• Resource sharing within OSI and BMC, as well as inter-institutionally, including the development and digitization of research infrastructure;
• Governance improvements, including reorganization solutions, institutionalization, and sustainability, incorporating unified management and the integration of scientific personnel, as well as governance system efficiency, including the involvement of external experts in the internal governance model for the scientific council’s work and collaboration with scientific universities.

A special Research and Development Grant (hereinafter – R&D Grant) program has been established for the creation of joint research programs and the enhancement of scientific excellence. The R&D Grant is a targeted research funding obtained through an internal competition within the institution, aimed at creating new knowledge, technological insights, and full research capacity in the respective scientific fields, including ensuring cooperation with the business sector and promoting international collaboration. Within the R&D Grant, collaboration between OSI and BMC is mandatory.

In this way, OSI and BMC scientists will be encouraged to seek mutually complementary research topics and, in addition to enhancing individual scientific qualifications, will contribute to the development of scientific excellence in the consolidated institution. The implementation of joint research will develop new methods for promoting personalized medicine measures and new approaches to drug discovery, including biopharmaceutical preparations, thus expanding the current drug discovery platform capabilities of OSI. Simultaneously, BMC will have the opportunity to utilize OSI’s established preclinical research technologies in its research directions, thereby achieving higher scientific result value and technological readiness levels. This will ensure high research impact at an international level, promoting the transformation of the consolidated institution into a regional center of excellence.

Information published 26.06.2024.