The IT Competence Centre invites companies developing products and technologies in the bright specialisation area – information and communication technologies – to submit applications for research projects.
Research projects in the sector, cross-sectoral, or international studies may be submitted by a single company or by the lead implementer of the research project (a company) in cooperation with other companies and/or research and knowledge dissemination organisations.
Supported research areas:
- Business process analysis technologies;
- Natural language technologies.
The total Recovery Fund financing amounts to EUR 5,795,553.43. The available funding for research project selection in the 3rd round of the competition is EUR 1,200,000.00.
Within the project, another open call is planned for November 2025 with at least EUR 859,182.98 in available funding.
Funding is available by the agreement signed on 2 July 2024 between SIA IT Competence Centre and the Central Finance and Contracting Agency for the implementation of the European Union Recovery Fund project “Information and Communication Technology Competence Centre for Research” (Project ID No. 5.1.1.2.i.0/2/24/A/CFLA/007).
Project goal:
By the end of 2026, to increase private research and development investment in the field of information and communication technologies by at least EUR 2.4 million, through targeted public investment in at least 8 ICT research projects, to facilitate the development of at least eight new products and services, as well as the transfer of knowledge in the ICT field.
Research project applications must be submitted by 16 September of this year (inclusive) to the email address info@itkc.lv.
Each applicant may submit only one research project application in the competition.
Webinar on research project submission:
27 August at 11:00. Apply by filling in the application form here.
Simplified process sequence:
Research project draft → evaluation of the research project → ITCC commission decision on advancing the project for support → CFCA decision on granting support → project implementation → interim reports every 3 or 6 months, depending on achieved results → grant disbursement according to reports.
Evaluation of research project applications is planned to be completed by the end of October. Research project applications approved by the IT Competence Centre’s evaluation commission will be submitted to the Central Finance and Contracting Agency, which will decide on the allocation of funding.
Research project application must include the following documents:
- Research project description (download)
- Research project budget (download)
- SME declaration with annexe (if applicable)
- Certificate of previous experience in cooperation with scientific institutions, indexed publications, and newly developed and implemented products or technologies, if this information is not included in the project description (download)
- Annual reports for the last three completed years (2022, 2023, 2024), if not available in public databases such as firmas.lv
- Certificate on research and development expenditures, if this information is not reflected in the annual reports (download)
- Lead researcher’s CV
- Project manager/coordinator’s CV
- Project accountant’s CV
- Proof of export (download)
- Other documents substantiating the compliance of the project application with the set criteria
Functional materials for application preparation:
- Standard form to be completed by ITCC after receiving the research project (download)
- Selection criteria (download)
- Cabinet of Ministers Regulations No. 32, Riga, 9 January 2024 (Minutes No. 1 §57). Regulations for the implementation of the 2nd round of the investment “Support instrument for research and internationalisation” within competence centres under the Latvian Recovery and Resilience Mechanism Plan
- Technology readiness levels
- IT Competence Centre research areas
- Action plan (download)
- Sample research project description template (download)
If you have any questions, uncertainties, or require consultation for completing the research project application, please get in touch with the IT Competence Centre by sending your inquiries to info@itkc.lv or calling +371 29489720.
The project is co-financed by the Recovery Fund under the “Latvian Recovery and Resilience Mechanism Plan 5.1.1.r. Reform ‘Innovation management and motivation for private R&D investment’ 5.1.1.2.i. Investment ‘Support instrument for research and internationalisation’” 2nd round implementation within competence centres.
