Latvia has earmarked €6 million for defence innovation research in 2026–2029. The Cabinet approved the programme on 13 October 2026. This gives businesses an opportunity to start building partnerships with researchers, but approval of the programme does not in itself entitle every technology company to funding. The decision is marked “Adopted” in the TAP case file.
What is the funding intended to cover?
The programme's priorities cover AI, cyber defence, autonomous systems, navigation, counter-drone solutions, quantum technologies, space communications and surveillance, military medicine, personnel resilience and military mobility.
The programme's explanatory memorandum envisages support for at least 12 applied research projects. These two figures must not be taken to mean that each project is guaranteed €500,000: the funding limits for individual projects are set by the rules of the call.
Who can submit a project application?
Paragraph 9 of Cabinet Regulation No. 560 requires the applicant to be a scientific institution that meets the definition of a research organisation and carries out a project unrelated to economic activity. The definition includes public or private institutions and higher education institutions entered in the Register of Scientific Institutions, subject to the regulation's other requirements.
Registering a company and having a good product idea are therefore not enough on their own. Formal project partners must also meet eligibility criteria. The specific participation requirements must additionally be assessed against the rules of the new call; cooperation with researchers does not automatically confer the status of a funding recipient.
Where does the opportunity for businesses lie?
The order provides for identifying commercial partners and consulting industry. A practical opportunity for a business is therefore to help connect a research proposal with a specific application, production capabilities and further development. This is the editorial team's assessment of the programme's relevance to business, rather than a promise of a contract or grant.
When will applications open?
In the Latvian Council of Science's (LZP) announcement of 13 October, the call was still planned for October, with projects due to start no later than December. The sources checked on 14 October did not yet confirm specific opening and closing dates for applications.
The explanatory memorandum allows up to 31 months for project implementation, from December 2026 to July 2029, with final payments planned by the end of 2029. These are the dates envisaged in the implementation plan.
What can a business prepare now?
This is the editorial team's preparation checklist, rather than a list of requirements for the call:
- Describe the problem. What specific need would the solution help meet, and how could it be tested?
- Summarise your capabilities. Set out your team's experience, available technologies and results that can be demonstrated in practice.
- Find a suitable research organisation. Discuss the potential tasks and expected contributions of both parties.
- Prepare questions about rights. Who would own the intellectual property created, and under what terms could the business use it?
- Wait for the rules before making financial commitments. Check who is eligible, the costs, the evaluation procedure and the submission deadline; only then plan an application.
A one-page project outline is useful for a partnership discussion: the problem, a possible solution, the intended outcome and each party's contribution. Separately record what has already been developed and what still needs research. This will help establish whether the research work and the company's expectations align. Do not include the funding as certain income in the company's cash-flow plan until the relevant decision has been made and an agreement is in place.
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