The Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment BIOR is an internationally recognized research center that plays a key role in the fields of food safety, veterinary medicine, public health, and environmental research. The institute provides research activities that meet international standards and conducts high‑quality scientific expertise and laboratory testing both nationally and internationally.
BIOR bases its work on the One Health concept, which emphasizes the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health. This approach enables integrated risk assessment, strengthens monitoring systems, and supports data‑driven decision‑making.
The institute provides the safety and quality assessments necessary for food chain control, supports the monitoring and risk evaluation of infectious diseases and zoonoses, and contributes to the sustainable management of natural resources, including in fisheries and aquaculture.
By combining interdisciplinary expertise with modern research infrastructure, BIOR develops scientifically grounded solutions for the agriculture, fisheries, and food sectors.
The achievements of BIOR researchers have earned international recognition in recent years and have been included among the Latvian Academy of Sciences’ most significant scientific accomplishments, underscoring the institute’s high scientific quality and global competitiveness.
Between 2020 and 2026, BIOR researchers published 295 scientific papers indexed in the SCOPUS and Web of Science databases. Most of these publications were produced through international collaboration.
Currently, BIOR employs 365 staff members, including 107 personnel, among them 25 PhD holders and 21 doctoral students.
The institute is also actively involved in training new specialists, researchers, and academic staff by providing opportunities to develop bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral theses, as well as offering internships and guest lectures for university students. This fosters knowledge transfer, the development of professional skills, and continuity within the sector.
A number of BIOR researchers also serve as academic staff at Latvia’s scientific universities — including professors, associate professors, assistant professors, and lecturers — delivering study courses, integrating the latest research findings into the learning process, and strengthening the link between science and higher education.
You can also watch the researchLatvia calendar video story dedicated to one of Latvia’s featured scientists — Mg. med. vet. Žanete Šteingolde, Head of the Microbiology and Pathology Laboratory at the Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment “BIOR”, which highlights her research work.
The calendar “Science for Latvia 2026” and the researcher profiles were developed within the ERDF project No. 1.1.1.1/1/24/I/001 “More Effective and Smarter Implementation and Governance of Latvia’s Science Policy,” implemented by the Ministry of Education and Science. Developers: SIA VFS FILMS and the researchLatvia team; photographer Ieva Romaško, director Guntars Graiksts, producer Kristīne Pleša, cinematographer Jānis Šēnbergs, calendar designer Anna Skane.
