EIT Health and BioPhoT Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Strengthen Health Innovation Collaboration

EIT Health, and BioPhoT, Latvia’s nationally funded biomedical and photonics innovation platform, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration in health and life-science innovation.

The agreement was formalised during BioPhoT Industry Day in Riga and reflects a shared ambition to accelerate research commercialisation, support early-stage innovation, and foster deeper integration of Latvian research teams into European health innovation ecosystems.

Accelerating research commercialisation in Latvia and beyond

BioPhoT is a national initiative supported by the Latvian Ministry of Economics, with dedicated public funding to advance research commercialisation in key health-related areas, including biomedicine, medical technologies, pharmaceuticals, and photonics-enabled solutions. Through national investment and international partnerships, Latvia aims to develop export-ready innovations with sustainable economic and societal impact across Europe.

“BioPhoT is more than a project—it is a catalyst for transforming Latvia’s scientific excellence into innovations that make a real difference in people’s lives,” said Osvalds Pugovičs, BioPhoT Platform Manager. “By uniting researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry, we are building a bridge from ideas to impact and fostering solutions that can compete on a global scale.”

Connecting Latvian innovators with European opportunities

Under the MoU, BioPhoT and EIT Health will explore joint opportunities to support Latvian innovators through enhanced connections, knowledge exchange, and participation pathways within EIT Health programmes and the wider European health innovation ecosystem.

“Signing this Memorandum marks a milestone in BioPhoT’s journey, formalising our commitment to connect Latvian innovators with European partners and accelerate the development of market-ready solutions,” Pugovičs added.

BioPhoT is also open to collaboration with industry partners across Europe, enabling Latvian research teams to engage with real-world industry challenges and align innovation development with European market needs from an early stage.

“This collaboration creates mutual value: Latvian innovators gain access to industry and expertise, while EIT Health strengthens its connection to a dynamic and fast-growing ecosystem committed to delivering impactful health solutions for Europe,” said Alina Dolmate, representative of the EIT Community Hub Latvia, hosted by Riga Technical University.

Building a dynamic European health innovation ecosystem

By combining national support through BioPhoT with European-level collaboration via EIT Health, Latvia reinforces its ambition to position itself as a dynamic health innovation ecosystem capable of translating strong research into high-impact solutions addressing European and global challenges.

The collaboration is supported by EIT Community Hub Latvia, ensuring alignment with the broader EIT Community presence in the country.