n the third round of the knowledge competition for secondary school students “BIO-GO-Higher,” organised by the Baltic Biomaterials Centre of Excellence (BBCE), the competition for the grand prize intensifies. The round, dedicated to biology, brings participants closer to winning a trip to Germany and the opportunity to visit the Biomaterials Centre at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen–Nuremberg.
In the third round, alongside students from Riga State Classical Gymnasium, teams from Bauska State Gymnasium and Aizkraukle Regional Secondary School have emerged among the leaders. These teams performed well in previous rounds but did not make it into the top three, thereby intensifying the competition for victory.
The winning team will be the one that earns the highest total number of points across all rounds. Other teams, including individual round winners and their mentors, will also receive prizes. The competition’s major supporters provide the awards, companies that recognise the importance of encouraging young people to deepen their knowledge in physics, chemistry, and the natural sciences.
In the third round, students solved biology tasks prepared and evaluated by scientists from the Institute of Biomaterials and Bioengineering at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology of Riga Technical University (RTU). The round was supported by SIA “SpirulinaNord,” AS “Latvijas Finieris,” and SIA “Skrīveru saldumi.”
Meanwhile, until April 24, student teams will work on the final round of the competition, which is dedicated to medicine. The tasks have been prepared and will be evaluated by researchers from the Faculty of Pharmacy at Riga Stradiņš University (RSU). The medical round is supported by the company “Mēness aptieka.”
The most knowledgeable students in physics and chemistry have already been identified in earlier rounds. The questions for these rounds were prepared and evaluated by scientists from the Pharmaceutical Pharmacology Laboratory of the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis (OSI) and researchers from the RSU Institute of Stomatology.
The award ceremony for the competition winners is planned for May 14 at the RTU student campus in Ķīpsala.
The “BIO-GO-Higher” knowledge competition brings together students from across Latvia. Now in its sixth year, the competition aims to strengthen students’ knowledge in engineering and natural sciences, as well as to increase interest in the use of implant materials in medicine. It is open to 10th- and 11th-grade students eager to learn, explore, and develop diverse skills in biomaterials research and development.
BBCE (Grant Agreement No. 857287) is a large-scale scientific capacity-building project aimed at fostering excellence in the research and development of new biomaterials for bone regeneration, facial, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthopaedics, and other fields. The project is implemented by RTU, RSU, the RSU Institute of Stomatology, the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, the AO Research Institute in Davos, Switzerland, and the Biomaterials Centre at Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen–Nuremberg in Germany. A total of €15 million has been allocated from the EU’s Horizon 2020 program, with an additional €15 million provided by the state, ERDF, and project partners.
