Latvian Council of Science has announced the 1st call for research applications under the activity “Post-doctoral Research”. The deadline for submission is October 7th, 2024.

The purpose of the activity is to develop the skills of new scientists and to increase the scientific capacity, ensuring the possibilities for new scientists to start a career in scientific institutions and with enterprises, as well as improvement of research competences, renewal of human resources and increase in the number of qualified specialists.

The first call for research application supports only non-economic industrial and applied research, fundamental research applications.

The target group of the activity is postdoctoral researchers – Latvian or foreign researchers – who have acquired a doctoral degree not more than 10 years before the deadline for submitting the research application (parental leave and temporary work disability are taken into account).

A postdoctoral researcher from abroad may implement the following aided activities within the scope of a research application:

• fundamental research, industrial and applied research,
• knowledge and technology transfer, 
• protection of technology rights to industrial property created during the research, 
• participation in international mobility and networking activities, 
• reviewing and participating in thesis committees for bachelor's, master's and doctoral theses, 
• preparation of other research and innovation projects.

Within the framework of a research application, the activities defined in Paragraph 45 of the Cabinet Regulation of the measure are supported and only research applications that contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the Latvian Smart Specialisation Strategy or to the development of specialisation areas, including interdisciplinary research applications corresponding to at least one of the defined Latvian Smart Specialisation areas, are supported.

The conditions of the project:

• A research applicant may implement the research application individually or in partnership with a scientific institution of a foreign country or of Latvia, institution of higher education or enterprise
• The maximum total eligible funding of a research application shall be 191 700 euros
• The maximum duration of the project implementation is 36 months

One grant is up to 191 700 euros and 36 months to perform research in Latvia, including:

• full time employment contract with salary 3 860 euros per month including all taxes;
• other research expenses per month, set at 1000 euros (costs of purchasing materials necessary for research, securing technology rights and outsourcing, training costs, costs of networking events, including business trips, participation fees in conferences and participation in informative events) 
• administrative costs set at 255 euros per month
• mobility costs set at 600 euros per month if the duration of foreign mobility is 6 months or more - family allowance of 660 euros per month if the duration of mobility is 6 months or more 
• a lump sum benefit of 600 euros may be paid to cover the costs of moving to Latvia, and an additional lump sum benefit of 660 euros if the postdoctoral researcher's family moves to Latvia.

For the first call for research applications, the funding available for the implementation of fundamental research applications is set at 20 % of the total eligible funding of EUR 17,000,000, corresponding to EUR 3,400,000.

More about activity and related documents can be found here.

Please do not hesitate to contact Latvian Council of Science, pasts@lzp.gov.lv.

Activity is co-funded by ERDF.