Posts Tagged ‘Latvia’
European Transport Corridor coordinator Mario Mauro visits Riga
On 1 December 2025, European Transport Corridor Coordinator Mario Mauro visited Riga to review Latvia’s transport priorities and developments within the TEN-T network. The visit focused on Latvia’s role in the newly defined European transport corridors, established under the TEN-T Regulation that took effect on 18 July 2024. Latvia participates in two of the EU’s nine corridors: the North Sea–Baltic Sea Corridor and the Baltic Sea–Black Sea–Aegean Sea Corridor.
Mauro met with representatives of Latvian Railways, RB Rail AS and European Railway Lines to discuss the Rail Baltica project, current rail sector developments and the impact of geopolitical conditions on freight volumes. Although freight has declined, passenger numbers continue to rise. Discussions highlighted the importance of military mobility, infrastructure upgrades, higher train speeds and a new rail link to Riga Airport.
Progress on the cross-border Rail Baltica project was reviewed, with Latvia stressing the need for continued Connecting Europe Facility funding beyond 2028 to meet the EU goal of completing the core TEN-T network by 2030. The parties noted positive developments in EU Council negotiations, with a partial agreement expected on 15 December.
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Originally published on 2 Dec
Read MoreLatvia takes first place in Investment Promotion Agency index
Latvia has been ranked nr. 1 out of 32 countries in the Investment Promotion Agency index as outlined in “The Investment Promotion Playbook 2025″ report by Reinvantage, an independent consultancy firm, for the second year in a row. The second place is taken by Estonia, with Lithuania ranked number 5.
The report by Reinvantage has assessed 32 countries across Central, Eastern, and Southern Europe, the Baltics, the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean, and Central Asia. The report has been published for 8 years consecutively, and has grown from its initial 23-country cohort to the now-expanded 32 countries.
The methodology is made up of scores across five categories, each weighted according to impact:
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Originally published on 1 Dec
Read MoreVenture Catalysts Batch 4 Concludes, Strengthening Latvia’s Deep Tech Innovation
On November 20, the fourth batch of Venture Catalysts, one of Latvia’s leading training program for science-driven innovation, officially concluded with 30 graduates, marking another important milestone in the country’s efforts to accelerate research commercialization and support early-stage deep tech ventures.
Over the past five weeks, researchers, doctoral students, innovators and aspiring founders engaged in an intensive curriculum designed to understand the basics of research commercialisation. Through interactive sessions, practical tasks, and expert mentoring, participants strengthened their skills in commercialization, team building, intellectual property, investment readiness and innovation strategy.
Developed and delivered by UniLab in collaboration with RTU Riga Business School, RISEBA, and the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA), Venture Catalysts Batch 4 provided a comprehensive pathway for innovators working at the intersection of research, technology, and entrepreneurship.
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Originally published on 25 Nov
Read MoreConvershake secures €150,000 in investment
According to a statement posted on LinkedIn by the company’s co-founder Emīls Vāvere, the artificial intelligence startup Convershake has secured an investment of €150,000 from the Outlast Fund.
In the long-term, it is Convershake’s ambition to lead the way in the development of fully autonomous AI agents in the field of customer service. The company’s vision entails a gradual transition from human-supported AI solutions to an environment where AI agents, guided by Convershake’s software, manage all customer calls independently.
Outlast Fund partner Marija Ručevska notes that Convershake is changing the way in which customer service teams operate. Through its platform, which connects every information source and provides the correct answer instantly and in any language, Convershake helps call centres and their employees to save hours of time every week. According to Ručevska, there is a growing belief within the industry that AI assistants hold the key to the future of customer experience, a transformation lead by the team at Convershake.
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Originally published on 20 Nov
Read MoreAgro-construction in Latvia – a natural solution for sustainable building
As Latvia moves toward the European Union’s climate-neutrality goals, it is seeking new ways to reduce the construction sector’s carbon footprint and strengthen the use of local resources. One of the most significant yet underused opportunities is agro-construction – a sustainable building approach based on agricultural materials. It not only helps mitigate climate change but also creates new economic and social development opportunities for Latvia’s regions.
This topic has been brought to the forefront by the “Agro Building Carbon (ABC)” project, implemented by the Vidzeme Planning Region in cooperation with the Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences’ New Building School (JBS). The project aims to explore and strengthen the use of agricultural-based building materials, their carbon-sequestration potential, and their role in Latvia’s construction policy.
Conversations that set the direction
On September 25 of this year, project partners and industry experts gathered in Riga, at Paraugtipogrāfija, for the first joint discussion to share experiences and build collaboration networks. The conversations highlighted that hemp, straw, and other crops can significantly contribute to both construction and agriculture, while also helping to meet carbon reduction targets. It was emphasized that Latvia has a long history of cultivating these crops, yet the sector lacks sufficient processing capacity and clear regulations.
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Originally published on 19 Nov
Read MoreAS “Latvenergo” becomes a member of the Latvian Association of Artificial Intelligence
The Latvian Association of Artificial Intelligence (MILA) is pleased to announce that Latvenergo JSC, one of the leading energy companies in the Baltics, has joined its circle of members, creating and developing innovative solutions in energy production, transmission and trade.
The accession of AS Latvenergo to MILA confirms the growing interest of the energy sector in the use of artificial intelligence solutions. The company is already actively using data analytics, automation and forecasting models that help improve energy efficiency, optimize production capacities and ensure stable system operation. Artificial intelligence (AI) enables even more accurate forecasting of electricity consumption, market dynamics and support real-time decision-making — aspects that are becoming critical in today’s energy industry.
Simultaneously with the admission of AS “Latvenergo” to the MILA board, Ģirts Vikmanis adds to the membership of the MILA board, JSC “Latvenergo” Director of IT Development and Artificial Intelligence. Girt has extensive experience in digital transformation and technology development, and the IT development and artificial intelligence function under his leadership plays a key role in the implementation of innovative energy solutions.
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Originally published on 17 Nov
Read MoreLatvia to Host CiTech’s European Operations Following Multi-Year Cooperation with LIAA
Critical Infrastructure Technologies Ltd. (CiTech), an Australian developer of cutting-edge mobile communications platforms, has announced the establishment of its wholly owned Latvian subsidiary SIA CiTech Europe, with plans to make Latvia the company’s European headquarters by 2026. The decision marks a significant milestone in CiTech’s global growth strategy and positions Liepāja as a key hub for the company’s European manufacturing, sales, and innovation activities.
CiTech’s planned facility will be in the Liepāja Special Economic Zone (LSEZ), taking advantage of the region’s excellent logistics, access to European markets, and competitive tax incentives — including a corporate tax rate of just 4% within the SEZ.
The company’s CEO, Brenton Scott, emphasized Latvia’s strategic importance for CiTech’s European expansion: “Our engagements with Latvian authorities have confirmed Latvia’s attractiveness as the home for our European headquarters. We are very excited to be accelerating our establishment in Latvia, building strong partnerships and creating a hub to support defense, border security, surveillance, and innovation across the European market.”
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Originally published on 16 Nov
Read MoreVidzeme Planning Region highlights the needs of Latvia’s Eastern border area at the European level
Vidzeme Planning Region (VPR) continues to actively represent the interests of Latvia’s eastern border area at the European Union level, maintaining ongoing dialogue with the European Commission and international partners to ensure that the region’s situation is duly reflected in policy planning and decision-making. The needs of Latvia’s eastern border area are also represented by VPR within the EU interregional initiative Regio-Silience, which brings together external border regions from Poland, the Baltic States, Finland and Norway.
Within this initiative, Vidzeme Planning Region is represented by Santa Vītola, Head of the Vidzeme Open Innovation Hub (VAIC), who this autumn participated in the interregional seminar “Regio-Silience in East Lapland: North-Eastern Europe’s attractiveness” held in Salla, Finland. She provided a professional regional perspective in international discussions and thematic working groups, highlighting both the shared challenges of the EU’s external border regions and the development and security priorities set by Vidzeme Planning Region.
Ms Vītola reminded participants that Vidzeme Planning Region, just like the Latgale Planning Region, is an external border region of the European Union, characterised by specific security, development and mobility challenges.
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Originally published on 14 Nov
Read MoreDouble feature Baltic film in New York and London
Move over Nordic film, here comes something even more unsettling
Read MoreFrom Capital to Capability: Understanding Needs and Building Trust Across the Region
On 6 November, more than 80 participants gathered at Tehnopol for a sold-out event hosted by the NATO DIANA Estonian Accelerator. The aim was to help defence and dual-use startups gain a clearer understanding of current needs in Latvia and see where their work could meaningfully contribute within the regional landscape.
The keynote was given by Rihards Miķelsons, Head of Industry Development at the Autonomous Systems Competence Centre of Latvia. He introduced the Centre’s testing environments across land, sea and urban settings, and explained how operational experience and structured trials support companies moving toward real deployment. For founders, the key takeaway was that collaboration in Latvia is practical and within reach. There are defined paths to test systems, gather feedback and understand user needs in conditions that reflect real use rather than laboratory evaluation.
Regional cooperation was discussed with a view to the near future. Estonia has been part of the NATO DIANA accelerator network since the pilot year and will launch its third cohort in 2026. Latvia and Finland will open their DIANA accelerator programmes in 2026. Bringing teams together at this stage helps establish shared understanding early and supports the development of solutions that are relevant across borders. For the Estonian accelerator, strengthening these relationships is important for continuing to broaden the ecosystem and ensure that promising technologies are able to develop into practical, deployable capability.
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Originally published on 7 Nov
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