On June 16, 2026, the government approved the National Research Programme in the health sector, which is a state‑commissioned initiative for scientists aimed at promoting the development of science‑based solutions for shaping health policy, advancing innovation, and achieving national development goals.
In the health sector, research is planned on child healthcare, mental health, human biomonitoring, infectious diseases, chronic diseases, as well as healthy nutrition and health education in schools.
Children’s health is one of the priorities of the health sector; therefore, within the programme it is planned to develop a children’s health monitoring system for long‑term tracking of health indicators. In addition, using the World Health Organization’s concept of the first 1000 days of a child’s life, a comprehensive assessment of how the maternal and child healthcare system functions in practice in Latvia will be carried out.
Taking into account the ageing of society and the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, one of the programme’s directions will be the development of cost‑effective and quality approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases, in order to reduce the burden they place on the healthcare system.
In the field of mental health, a suicide risk monitoring system will be developed, which will provide evidence‑based data for more effective policy planning and the implementation of preventive measures.
Meanwhile, in the field of infectious diseases, the task for scientists will be to develop a comprehensive approach to monitoring vectors of infectious diseases, studying their distribution, activity, and level of infection. Research will analyse the impact of climate change on the spread of infectious diseases and assess the risks associated with the introduction of new infectious diseases or their vectors into Latvia.
During the implementation of the programme, researchers will be required to ensure specific deliverable results, including publishing scientific findings in internationally recognised databases, as well as developing evidence‑based recommendations for improving public health policy, assessing their potential impact on population health and the healthcare system.
The programme is funded from the resources allocated under the sub‑programme “Ensuring Scientific Activity” of the Ministry of Education and Science, while project calls will be organised and administered by the Latvian Council of Science.
Regarding research directions and topics, the Ministry of Health consulted with the Strategic Steering Council of the National Research Programme “Public Health”, which includes representatives from the Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the Ministry of Education and Science, Rīga Stradiņš University, the University of Latvia, the National Health Service, the Ministry of Economics, the State Chancellery, the Latvian Health Economics Association, the Latvian Association of Large Hospitals, and the Latvian Public Health Association.
The total available funding under the National Research Programme direction “Public Health” for the period from 2026 to 2028 is 3.75 million euros. The overarching goal of the programme is to improve the health of Latvia’s population by extending healthy life expectancy, reducing premature mortality, and decreasing inequalities in health, as well as improving the quality and accessibility of healthcare services.
