News

With the arrival of autumn, Latvian forests and parks reveal an increasingly frequent sight on fallen or damaged tree trunks – the colorful turkey tail ( Trametes versicolor). This visually striking but inedible polypore fungus is known worldwide as one of the most extensively studied medicinal fungi. In Latvia, however, it has also become an inspiration for researchers at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, who are developing innovative mycelium biocomposites – natural materials that can replace synthetic foams and plastics. The story about this research and its achievements was...

This morning, on the Latvian Radio 1 program “Labrīt”, listeners learned about the cosmetic innovations being developed at our Institute. LSIWC’s leading researcher Dr.sc.ing. Aigars Pāže revealed how birch bark can be transformed into ecological creams that moisturize the skin and support its regeneration. The goal of our research team is to develop three products by April 2028: a hand cream, a face cream, and a sunscreen. A unique approach The LSIWC team applies the principle of Pickering emulsions: extremely fine birch bark extract particles stabilize the oil–water system. The base is...

On 26 September, the whole of Latvia celebrated Researchers’ Night 2025, with more than 30 locations simultaneously filled with the spirit of science. This year’s motto was “Discover the Researcher Gene in You!”, encouraging every visitor to embrace curiosity and experience what it feels like to be a researcher. An adventure at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry At our Institute, the evening was truly special. Event organizers Laima Vēvere and Daniela Godiņa, together with their colleagues, had prepared a diverse and engaging programme. Guests were welcomed by Ance Pļavniece and...

This week our researcher Dr.chem. Kristīne Meile took part in the BALTIPLAST project workshop “Young Researchers for a Plastic Free Baltic Sea Region”, organized by Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg) and the Baltic University Program. Kristīne gave a presentation “Putting ‘bio’ in plastics”, in which she explored the topic of bioplastics and structured her talk around the lifecycle of a manufactured material: Feedstocks . Renewable and sustainably sourced biomass as the basis for bioplastics. Production phase. Various technologies have been developed to produce bioplastics...

From 24 to 26 September 2025, Aeromart Nagoya – the flagship aerospace B2B event in Japan will take place in Nagoya. This is one of the most significant international business events in the aviation and aerospace sector. Over three days, the forum will bring together decision-makers, companies, and research institutes from around the world, offering high-level networking and cooperation opportunities. The Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) has prepared a brochure featuring Latvian engineering companies and research institutes, including the Latvian State Institute of Wood...

On 19 September 2025, the first round of the Bio-based Innovation Student Challenge Europe (BISC-E) 2025 European Final took place online. The competition brought together 13 national winners from across Europe. Latvia was represented by the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) student team “need(less)”, who presented their project “PolystyreNO – innovative bio-based food trays.” The team’s proposed solution is biodegradable composite trays for meat packaging, combining polylactic acid (PLA) with wood fibers and antimicrobial properties. The aim is to ensure functional durability...