Dr. chem. Gints Šmits, Leading Researcher and Head of the Laboratory of Active Compounds of the Central Nervous System at the National Institute of Research and Innovation. As a Leading Researcher at the National Institute of Research and Innovation (NIRI) and Head of the Laboratory of Active Compounds of the Central Nervous System, Dr. chem. Gints Šmits also serves as an Associate Professor at the Riga Technical University (RTU). His work lies at the intersection of chemistry, biotechnology and biomaterials – particularly in the field of biomimetic solutions inspired by nature. His research focuses on how naturally occurring compounds and structures can be adapted for medical applications.

At the Robotics and Machine Perception Laboratory of the Institute of Electronics and Computer Science (IECS), PhD Jānis Ārents leads research on how robots can navigate complex environments, interpret human instructions and apply learned skills to new tasks.His work seeks answers to a central question: how to enable robots to move through forests, construction sites or industrial settings and interact with humans as naturally as colleagues.

Mg. soc. sci. Ieva Leimane. As a Researcher and Project Manager at the Sustainability Research Unit of the Bioeconomy Department at the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Economics (IARE), Mg. soc. sci. Ieva Leimane focuses on sustainable agricultural practices, biodiversity conservation on farmland, socio-economic assessments, and cooperation among stakeholders in agriculture and rural development. Her work promotes sustainable rural development and environmental protection in agriculture.