For the period of 2026-2028, Riga Technical University (RTU) together with Biocatalyst Foundation will serve as EIT Food Country Representatives in Latvia, acting as a key link between the national agrifood innovation ecosystem and the wider European EIT Food network. EIT Food is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.
With support of the Latvian Food Cluster, the consortium will continue growing Latvia’s agrifood innovation ecosystem, with special emphasis on science-intensive innovation such as biotechnology, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Other focal points include:
- supporting agrifood startups across Latvia with access to expertise, capital networks, and partnering opportunities leveraging EIT Food’s existing programs
- facilitating new cross-border partnerships with industry and investors across Europe and beyond, leveraging the consortium’s international network,
- supporting national Ministries in improving relevant policies as well as updating Latvia’s agrifood and bioeconomy innovation strategy within the RIS3 smart specialization framework, while building bridges with EU-level strategic priorities via Biocatalyst Foundation’s membership in EU Agrifood Biotech Alliance and EuropaBio.
The EIT Food Country Representative acts as a local point of contact, operating within the EIT Community Hub to strengthen collaboration and ensure a unified presence of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) in Latvia. It collaborates with stakeholders across the agri-food ecosystem, promotes EIT Food programmes, and identifies new opportunities for partnerships and complementary funding sources.
Additionally, it identifies and supports startups and programme participants, guiding them towards relevant EIT Food initiatives, and organizes at least one annual capacity-building activity aimed at fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in the agrifood sector in Latvia.
It will work closely with key stakeholders to enhance cooperation, increase visibility of EIT Food initiatives, and unlock new collaboration and funding opportunities.
A central focus of this role is to reinforce the Latvian agrifood innovation landscape by fostering stronger links between academia, industry, public sector actors, and startups. Through active engagement and coordination, it will support the integration of local stakeholders into international networks and initiatives.
About EIT Food
EIT Food is growing Europe’s food innovation ecosystem to build a healthy, sustainable and resilient food system. We empower innovators and entrepreneurs, invest in ideas and talent, and we create space for science, research, industry, and policymakers to accelerate systemic change across the food sector.
Supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, EIT Food has been at the forefront of food system innovation in Europe since 2016.
About EIT Food Country Representatives
EIT Food Country Representatives are members of the EIT Community Hubs in their respective countries. They are independent organisations appointed to connect national agrifood ecosystems in Southern and Eastern Europe with EIT Food’s ecosystem, activities, and opportunities. A central part of their role is to build strong pipelines of agrifood startups for EIT Food’s entrepreneurship programmes by scouting promising ventures, engaging incubators and accelerators, and providing handson support during application processes. They also attract learners to EIT Food’s education initiatives, including the EIT Food Master in Food Systems and the EU Skills Academies in Biotechnology and Resilient Agriculture. In addition, EIT Food Country Representatives help strengthen national innovation networks by facilitating collaboration, sharing information about relevant opportunities, and delivering activities that build innovation and entrepreneurship capacity within the agrifood sector. This appointment is part of the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (EIT RIS), one of EIT’s key measures to broaden participation in the EIT Community and address regional disparities in innovation capacity.
Find out more at www.eitfood.eu or follow us via social media: X, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.
About Biocatalyst Foundation
Biocatalyst Foundation is an independent non‑profit ecosystem builder focused on talent development, startup support, and cross‑border collaboration in the Baltics and Central and Eastern Europe life sciences and food biotech space. Its initiatives include the INCUBATION.BIO programme, international collaboration through the EU Agrifood Biotech Alliance, leadership in the BIOCONNECT consortium, the European Biotech Hackathon, and the creation of Riga Open Biospace, the region’s first independent shared laboratory.
