EUR 25 million for research in the Baltic region
On 20 November, the international conference of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Norway Grants financial mechanisms programme "Baltic Research" organized by the Research Council of Lithuania was held in Vilnius, where scientists and representatives of the institutions administering the programme discussed the most important aspects of the programme implementation and cooperation and presented the results of the programme.
About EUR 25 million were allocated for the implementation of these international projects: EUR 11.5 million for projects led by Lithuanian researchers, EUR 7.5 million for projects by Latvian researchers and about EUR 6 million for those by Estonian researchers.
A total of 28 international research projects were funded under the programme: 12 were implemented by researchers working in Lithuanian research institutions, 9 in Latvian research institutions, and 7 in Estonian research institutions. 11 Lithuanian research institutions participated in the projects, of which the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Vilnius University, Kaunas University of Technology and the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry implemented the most projects.
During the discussions, the conference participants shared insights about the benefits of this programme, which has been implemented since 2020, for the scientific community and society, cooperation between partners, best practices, and project achievements. Opinions were exchanged on how regional and bilateral cooperation could be further strengthened and improved, as well as expectations and prospects for the next stage of programme funding.
The Baltic research programme is a joint research programme of the three Baltic States. The programme was created taking into account the common challenges of the society and research in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It is expected that the programme will help the Baltic countries to better establish themselves in the Baltic Sea region, the research area of the Baltic and Nordic countries, as well as at the European and international levels.