The Latvian Council of Science (LCS) announces the 2026 Open Call for the Fundamental and Applied Research Programme (FLPP), inviting Latvian scientific institutions to submit high‑quality research project proposals. The FLPP is the main national instrument for strengthening scientific excellence in Latvia, supporting fundamental and applied research that generates new knowledge, develops research competences, and forms a basis for the participation of Latvian researchers in international programmes.
Key conditions of the call:
- Project submission deadline: 8 June 2026 (23:59:59);
- Available funding: EUR 18,083,068.65;
- Who can apply? Scientific institutions of the Republic of Latvia that are registered in the Register of Scientific Institutions and meet the definition of a research organisation;
- Project implementation period: 36 months.
The FLPP covers all Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS3) areas, the fields of social sciences and humanities with horizontal impact on RIS3, as well as all groups of scientific disciplines. The programme ensures not only the creation of new knowledge and its application in practice, but also the integration of early‑career researchers into research and the development of scientific excellence.
At the same time, several significant amendments to the procedure for evaluating and administering Fundamental and Applied Research Programme projects will enter into force in this year’s call, as approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on 28 April 2026 [LV].
The aim of the changes is to strengthen trust in science and to show more clearly how state‑funded research benefits society and the economy. Public opinion will also be collected on current issues where research is needed, but this will have a consultative role. This means that researchers will continue to choose research topics and content themselves, maintaining academic freedom.
- The call also provides for improvements to the scientific evaluation process. As before, project quality will be assessed by independent international experts, and only the highest‑rated projects will receive funding. The introduction of foreign scientific expert panels will ensure a methodologically consistent evaluation of projects and reduce subjectivity in the assessment process.
- At the same time, the weight of the scientific impact criterion has been increased from 30% to 40%, and the threshold for scientific quality has been raised.
- Project implementation conditions have also been clarified, providing a more flexible approach to changes in the project team and budget, as well as defining two types of project extensions for continuing implementation and for publishing results. In addition, a post‑monitoring period of three years after project completion is foreseen, during which the Latvian Council of Science will monitor the achievement and publication of project results.
The Latvian Council of Science invites researchers and scientific institutions to make use of this opportunity and submit projects in order to jointly promote the excellence, competitiveness and societal contribution of Latvian science.
The call documentation [LV] , project application forms and other materials.
