The Latvian Council of Science (Latvijas Zinātnes padome, LZP) is Latvia’s national research funding institution and the country’s primary channel for state-budget science funding. For researchers and research administrators working with or in Latvia — whether applying directly, hosting a Latvian partner, or coordinating a Baltic-region consortium — LZP is the counterpart body to funders such as Estonia’s Estonian Research Council (ETAg), covered in a companion CASRAI guide.
What Is the Latvian Council of Science?
LZP administers Latvia’s main state-budget research funding programmes, runs expert review commissions that evaluate research proposals across scientific fields, and hosts Latvia’s National Contact Point (NCP) network for Horizon Europe. It is organised into departments — including an International Cooperation Program and Project Department and a dedicated Horizon Europe NCP department — alongside field-specific expert commissions that carry out scientific evaluation of funding applications.
In practice, LZP plays three roles that matter to anyone planning a funding application involving Latvia: it is the national funder for Latvia’s own competitive research programmes, the EU liaison that helps Latvian and partner institutions navigate Horizon Europe, and a coordinator for Latvia’s participation in transnational joint programming networks.
LZP’s Main Funding Instruments
LZP’s national funding portfolio centres on a small number of recurring programmes rather than a large catalogue of individual schemes. The instruments researchers encounter most often are:
Fundamental and Applied Research Programme (FLPP)
The Fundamental and Applied Research Programme is LZP’s flagship national instrument. It is financed from the state budget and funds projects that generate new knowledge and technological know-how across all fields of science, run on an annual open-call basis with a standard 36-month project implementation period. Eligibility is restricted to scientific institutions of the Republic of Latvia that are entered in Latvia’s Register of Scientific Institutions and meet the definition of a research organisation — individual foreign researchers cannot apply directly but can participate as project team members through a registered Latvian host institution. In the most recently completed competition, LZP awarded funding to 56 projects worth a combined €16.8 million, beginning implementation on 1 January 2026, and a further 2026 open call has since been announced.
State Research Programme
The State Research Programme funds research programmes initiated by Latvia’s sectoral ministries and financed from the state budget, targeting policy-relevant and sector-specific research priorities rather than open, investigator-driven topics.
Postdoctoral Research Grants
This programme is the most directly relevant LZP instrument for incoming international researchers. It operates under Latvia’s 2021–2027 EU Cohesion Policy Programme (Activity 1.1.1.9, “Developing and enhancing research and innovation capacities”) and is financed primarily through the European Regional Development Fund, with state and private co-financing, for a combined budget of roughly €50.89 million running from mid-2024 through the end of 2029. Its stated aim explicitly includes attracting postdoctoral researchers from abroad to Latvian scientific institutions and enterprises, targeting support for around 195 postdoctoral researchers and the creation of dozens of new research positions. Application evaluation draws on experts from the European Commission’s own expert database and applies evaluation principles modelled on the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, making it a natural entry point for researchers already familiar with EU mobility-grant conventions.
EEA and Norway Grants
LZP has also administered funding under the EEA and Norway Grants mechanism, a bilateral funding instrument financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway that supports research and innovation cooperation with beneficiary states including Latvia. LZP’s implementation of this programme period ran until 30 April 2024; researchers should check LZP’s site directly for whether a successor call has opened before assuming current availability.
International and Bilateral Programmes
LZP also coordinates or participates in Latvia’s side of transnational joint funding networks, including M-ERA.NET (materials research) and CHIST-ERA (ICT-adjacent basic research), which run periodic joint calls combining national funding contributions from multiple participating countries. These calls typically require multinational consortia rather than solo applications.
LZP and Horizon Europe
LZP is the coordinating body for Latvia’s network of National Contact Points (NCPs) for Horizon Europe, providing free advice, proposal feedback, and partner-search support to Latvian applicants and their international collaborators. LZP’s NCP coverage explicitly includes Widening Participation instruments — Teaming, Twinning, ERA Chairs, the Excellence Initiative (EEI), and the Hop-on Facility — alongside COST, the European Innovation Council, Research Infrastructures, and Climate, Energy and Mobility thematic areas.
Widening instruments matter disproportionately for Latvia because the country is classified as a “widening” member state under Horizon Europe, meaning Latvian institutions (and their partners from higher-performing research systems) are specifically eligible for Teaming, Twinning and ERA Chairs funding designed to narrow the EU’s research-and-innovation performance gap. CASRAI’s comparison of Twinning, ERA Chairs and Teaming for Excellence lays out how these three instruments differ and which is the right fit for a given partnership. Because LZP’s national FLPP and Postdoctoral Grants programmes are explicitly framed as building blocks for future international-programme participation, a project’s LZP funding history can also strengthen a subsequent Horizon Europe Widening application.
Practical Guidance for International Researchers
- Applying directly to LZP national programmes: With the partial exception of Postdoctoral Research Grants, LZP’s national calls generally require the applicant institution to be a Latvian scientific institution registered with LZP. Non-Latvian researchers typically need a Latvian host institution to be part of the project team.
- Postdoctoral Research Grants: This is LZP’s most accessible route for a foreign researcher relocating to Latvia, since attracting international postdocs is an explicit programme objective. Confirm current eligibility, host-institution requirements and open-call dates on LZP’s site before applying, as cohort timing changes.
- Horizon Europe collaboration: Contact LZP’s Horizon Europe NCP team early, particularly for Widening instruments, where LZP can advise on partner search and eligibility from the Latvian side of a consortium.
- Joint international calls: If your research area overlaps with M-ERA.NET or CHIST-ERA, check whether a joint call is open and whether it requires a Latvian consortium partner — LZP administers the Latvian national contribution to these calls rather than running them independently.
- Verify before applying: LZP’s programme portfolio shifts with each EU Cohesion Policy and Horizon Europe funding period. Treat programme names, deadlines, and funding envelopes here as a starting orientation and confirm current details on lzp.gov.lv before drafting a proposal.
LZP in the Baltic Funding Landscape
Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania each maintain a separate national research council, and international collaborators frequently need to work with more than one. LZP’s counterpart in Estonia is the Estonian Research Council (ETAg), covered in CASRAI’s companion guide; Lithuania’s equivalent body is the Research Council of Lithuania (LMT). All three participate in Horizon Europe as widening-eligible member states and maintain their own NCP networks, so a multi-country Baltic consortium will typically need to coordinate funding applications through each national council separately rather than through a single regional body. For the broader funding-instrument context, see CASRAI’s grants management and research funding hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does LZP stand for?
LZP stands for Latvijas Zinātnes padome, Latvian for “Latvian Council of Science” or “Latvian Research Council.” It is the country’s national research funding institution.
Can a foreign researcher apply directly to LZP for funding?
It depends on the programme. LZP’s Postdoctoral Research Grants programme explicitly targets attracting postdoctoral researchers from abroad. Most other national programmes, including the Fundamental and Applied Research Programme, require the applicant to be a Latvian scientific institution registered with LZP, so foreign researchers generally need a Latvian host institution or project partner.
Is LZP the same body that handles Horizon Europe applications for Latvia?
LZP hosts Latvia’s National Contact Point network for Horizon Europe, providing advisory support to applicants, but Horizon Europe proposals themselves are submitted to the European Commission, not to LZP. LZP’s role is national coordination and advisory support, not proposal evaluation for EU-level calls.
What is the Fundamental and Applied Research Programme (FLPP)?
FLPP is LZP’s main national research funding instrument, financed from the Latvian state budget on an annual open-call basis, supporting projects of up to 36 months across all fields of science at eligible Latvian scientific institutions.
Does LZP fund researchers outside Latvia through joint international calls?
Yes, indirectly. LZP contributes Latvia’s national share of funding to transnational joint call networks such as M-ERA.NET and CHIST-ERA, which require multinational consortia; a non-Latvian researcher would typically need a Latvian partner institution within such a consortium rather than applying to LZP alone.
Where can I find current LZP funding calls and deadlines?
LZP publishes open calls, deadlines and eligibility criteria directly on lzp.gov.lv. Because programme cycles and EU co-funding periods change, always confirm current details there rather than relying on a general overview.
