The Latvian Council of Science has prepared a report mapping publicly funded research projects in the context of security and defence, providing a structured overview of Latvia’s scientific capacity in the fields of security, defence, civil protection, and societal resilience.
The report was developed in response to the geopolitical changes of recent years in Europe, marked by Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the growing prevalence of hybrid threats, and prolonged security instability. Under these conditions, defence capabilities can no longer be viewed solely through the lens of military capacity, as they also rely on technological development and innovation, data and information resilience, protection of critical infrastructure, and society’s ability to function under crisis conditions.
The report presents a qualitative thematic mapping of 139 national and international research projects (2018–2025), based on an analysis of project documentation. Projects were selected according to the relevance of their content to security and defence challenges, including studies of an indirect and dual-use nature. The purpose of the mapping is not to assess the military applicability of the projects, but to provide a structured overview of research contributions to the development and strengthening of security capabilities.
The results of the mapping demonstrate that Latvia’s scientific capacity largely aligns with contemporary security and defence policy needs, even though most of the research has not been designed with a direct military objective. Security-relevant solutions are systematically developed within publicly funded fundamental and applied research, including sensor and materials technologies, data analytics and artificial intelligence research and applications, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure resilience, crisis management, information environment security, and the strengthening of societal resilience.
The report shows that the majority of projects make an indirect or moderate contribution to defence by establishing knowledge, methodological, technological, and institutional foundations for the development of security capabilities. At the same time, a group of projects with direct relevance to defence needs has been identified, along with significant dual-use potential, particularly in technologically oriented fields.
The mapped research is characterised by broad institutional involvement and an interdisciplinary approach, with participation from higher education institutions, research institutes, state and municipal authorities, as well as international partners. This confirms that the creation of security and defence-related knowledge takes place within a broad research ecosystem beyond a narrowly defined defence sector.
The report concludes that, although state funding to date (with the exception of certain National Research Programmes) has not been systematically directed towards research with a direct defence focus, publicly funded fundamental and applied research already makes a significant contribution to the foundations of security and defence capabilities. At the same time, there is a need to strengthen the linkage between the research funding system and security policy planning, as well as to maintain research mapping as a permanent analytical policy instrument.
The report is intended for use as a supporting resource in policy planning, strategic discussions, and the initiation of further research in the field of security and defence.
Report on the Contribution of Research Projects to Security and Defence [Latvian language]
