The government decision adopted today, 18 August, to allocate co-financing will enable the implementation of the major research initiative “Centre of Excellence for an Integrated One Health Ecosystem” by Latvian scientific institutions, which received support in April this year in a project call under the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme. The initiative envisages establishing the first integrated One Health Centre of Excellence in the Baltics and Eastern Europe, which will study the interconnections between human, animal, and environmental health and develop solutions to challenges such as antibiotic resistance, infectious diseases, and the health impacts of climate change.
“Investment in science is a direct investment in the health of our society, economic growth, and national security. The first One Health Centre of Excellence in the Baltics is a striking demonstration of the international competitiveness of Latvian scientists. With this project, we are connecting top-level research with the needs of the public sector and businesses, promoting the development of innovative technologies and digital solutions. It will bring practical benefits to everyone – from safer food and a better environment to timely responses to health risks,” emphasizes Minister for Education and Science Ilze Indriksone.
The One Health Centre will create new opportunities for cooperation between science, the public sector, and industry, enabling the development of research and promoting technology transfer to the healthcare, biotechnology, food, and digital solutions sectors. One of the key elements of the project is the creation of a digital twin of the entire system. It will be a tool that makes it possible to bring together data on environmental processes, microbiological and chemical risks, as well as their links to human health observations in one place. The digital twin will make it possible to monitor developments within the system in real time, model possible development scenarios, and provide much more effective early warning, analysis, and decision-making. It will provide opportunities to improve production safety and quality control, while the infrastructure will allow innovative companies to access high-value data, algorithm development environments, and demonstration platforms.
The project is implemented by the National Research and Innovation Institute in cooperation with Riga Technical University, the Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment BIOR, the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, and the University of Dundee (United Kingdom). The Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre participate in the project as associated partners.
Earlier this year, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the informative report “On the Provision of Co-financing for the Implementation of the Project ‘Centre of Excellence for an Integrated One Health Ecosystem’”, supporting its submission to the Horizon Europe programme call. The total budget of the project “Centre of Excellence for an Integrated One Health Ecosystem” is EUR 30 million, of which EUR 15 million is provided by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme, while the other half – EUR 15 million – consists of Latvian funding: EUR 14,505,000 from ERDF and state budget funds, as well as EUR 495,000 from the project implementers’ own funds.
Teaming for Excellence is a Horizon Europe project call designed to develop excellent research centres in countries with lower innovation capacity through cooperation with leading European institutions. It funds the establishment of new or significantly strengthened research centres by combining the potential of local institutions with international excellence and national co-financing.
The amendments to the regulations approved on 18 August 2026 are available on the Cabinet of Ministers’ website.
