Baltijas Koks: The Institute Evolves While Preserving Its Independence
Published in the May issue of Baltijas Koks magazine, this article offers insight into the history of the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC), its research activities, cooperation with industry, and vision for the development of the bioeconomy. With the publisher’s permission, we are republishing the article in full.
This spring, the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) celebrated its 80th anniversary. The Institute’s public visibility continues to grow. Every year, one of its researchers or research teams receives Latvia’s prestigious forestry sector award, Golden Cone (Zelta čiekurs). Last year, the LSIWC Student Council received a Certificate of Recognition in the category Public Education for its contribution to science communication and public outreach.
It is particularly interesting to read the Institute’s vision and core values, which reflect a subtle connection between tradition and the demands of the present day.
Excellence Built on Experience and Ambition
The Institute’s vision states that the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry is a Baltic Centre of Excellence in the bioeconomy, promoting biorefining as the backbone of future industry and advancing wood as a modern, environmentally friendly, and human-centred material for construction.
Its activities are aimed at reducing dependence on petroleum-based resources, thereby contributing to the achievement of Europe’s 2050 net-zero emissions goals.
The Institute’s strategic values are clearly defined: scientific excellence, creative freedom, respectful cooperation, and sustainable development.
Scientific excellence is characterised by carefully planned, high-quality, high-impact research that generates new knowledge and supports the development of modern technologies. Such excellence is built on experience and practical expertise combined with ambition, enthusiasm, and new ideas.
The creative freedom of motivated researchers within a supportive environment is a prerequisite for generating valuable new knowledge and innovative solutions. Personal engagement in research is considered one of the most important sources of motivation.
Changing While Preserving Independence
The Institute’s Director is financier Karīna Orlova, Mg. oec.
“The eighty-year history of the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry demonstrates that the Institute has repeatedly adapted to changing circumstances without losing its identity. We are one of the few independent research institutes in Latvia that is not affiliated with a university. In my view, the ability to change while maintaining quality is what best characterises the Institute.
Speaking about cooperation with the state and industry, I would emphasise that a scientific institute is not merely a service provider but also a strategic partner. A partner that helps formulate problems accurately, assess risks, and make decisions based on data rather than assumptions. This is important not only for commercial partners but also for policymakers.
We operate in fields where the path from laboratory research to practical application is complex, costly, and risky. Therefore, the Institute’s role is not only to generate new knowledge but also to reduce research and administrative risks during pilot projects, testing, and scale-up processes.
The Institute deliberately positions itself as an intermediary between fundamental research and industry, ensuring that knowledge is successfully transferred into practical applications.”
Research Explained in a Language Everyone Can Understand
The Institute’s growing public recognition owes much to the work of its Student Council.
Daniela Godiņa, PhD, Chair of the Student Council and researcher at the Biorefinery Laboratory:
“Our Council’s mission is to promote the Institute and communicate our research in a way that everyone can understand. Alongside our research work, we are actively involved in science communication, working almost like specialised journalists.
We regularly host visitors and organise excursions, which requires a considerable investment of time. We cooperate with the Latvian Wood Industry Association (Latvijas Koks), visit schools, and introduce children to various experiments from the ‘Wood Species Suitcase’ educational kit designed for science, physics, and chemistry classes. Using simple and easily accessible materials, the kit allows students to conduct a range of practical experiments.
We also maintain close cooperation with the communication programme of Latvia’s State Forests (Latvijas valsts meži). We present the Institute’s work at public events such as Forest Days in Tērvete and The Forest Comes to Jelgava. During Career Days organised by Riga Technical University and the University of Latvia, we introduce future specialists to internship opportunities at our Institute.
We prepared the fourth-round questions for the television programme Smarter and Smarter (Gudrs, vēl gudrāks) for all age groups. We carefully reviewed school curricula related to natural sciences to ensure that the questions matched what students were learning in class. The participants answered almost all of the questions successfully.
The entire project was organised by the Student Council with support from our colleagues, who introduced their laboratories, projects, and participated in filming. It was an extremely positive initiative and, I believe, a successful one.
We are ready to share our knowledge and tell our story, but society must also be open and interested. Not everyone views scientific work with enthusiasm. We cooperate with research institutes in other countries, participate in European and international projects, attend conferences, and maintain active contacts with colleagues around the world.
More than 120 people work at the Institute, ranging in age from twenty-five to ninety. Some senior colleagues tell us, ‘We tried that back in the 1970s. Some things worked, some didn’t.’ Today we have different opportunities, and it is fascinating to hear about the experiences of previous generations who travelled similar paths before us.”
Career Are No Joke!
Laima Vēvere, MSc, Secretary of the Student Council and researcher at the Polymer Laboratory:
“Research is fascinating, but it is equally important to know how to talk about it in an engaging way. We are all still learning how to do that.
Not everyone is a natural public speaker, and not everyone enjoys talking about their research. That is perfectly normal. Nevertheless, we all make an effort to communicate our work clearly and understandably, so that people do not perceive us as arrogant scientists speaking only in technical jargon.
Everything we do in outreach activities is driven by our own initiative and by the time we are willing to invest outside our research projects. It is an additional responsibility that we have chosen to take on because it allows us to change perceptions of chemistry and the exact sciences and to spark public interest in what scientists in Latvia are doing.
Last year, several school classes visited the Institute every month. We also participate in Researchers’ Night, and this year more than thirty students joined us during Shadow Day.
Of course, there are schools that leave a very positive impression, while there are others where you return home feeling discouraged because the students seem completely disengaged. No matter how hard you try, sometimes the spark simply does not ignite.
Yet there are many memorable experiences. I remember a wonderful group of fourth-grade students who toured the entire Institute with shining eyes and endless curiosity. Younger children are often more active than teenagers. We receive the most questions from primary school students. Their interest in chemistry is practical – they want to know what can be done with it. Naturally, there have also been questions about explosions.
What interests students most is the everyday work of researchers. When complex subjects are explained in simple terms, science becomes less intimidating and more accessible. It creates the feeling that science is not something unattainable, but rather something exciting and inspiring.
This year, the motto of Shadow Day was: ‘Don’t Joke Around with Your Career!’”
We Are Looking for Products That Do Not Yet Exist
Matīss Pāls, MSc, Vice-Chair of the Student Council:
“Every day is different, and there is very little routine in the Institute. We are involved in a wide variety of projects – at the moment, I am working on four simultaneously.
A significant part of our work is dedicated to scientific research, but public engagement is also important. We participate in interviews and media programmes, organise events within the Institute, and contribute to science communication activities.
The Student Council is actively involved in educating young people through workshops, lectures, seminars, excursions, and cooperation with universities. I have delivered lectures on lignin chemistry at the University of Latvia, which allows students to view a subject from different perspectives.
We are searching for ways to develop products from renewable resources instead of petroleum-based materials. We make use of what is often considered waste. In many ways, this is our closest connection to the forest. We see value not only in tree trunks but also in bark.
Our research extends beyond birch bark to include black alder and grey alder bark. We explore various research directions and biomass sources, including fungal mycelium, straw, and oat husks.
Scientists from the Cellulose Laboratory received an international Packaging Excellence Award for their research on mycelium-based composite materials.
To continue developing professionally and leading research projects, a doctoral degree is, of course, extremely important. Without it, career growth eventually reaches a limit. However, what drives me most is not external pressure but my own internal motivation.
Everything we do here is based on the search for innovative solutions and products that do not yet exist. One of the most rewarding aspects of our work is seeing how our research findings are transformed into real-world applications. Compared with fields such as medicine, the time required for implementation is often considerably shorter.
Due to the current geopolitical situation in Europe, priorities are changing. The Green Deal has become somewhat less prominent, while greater emphasis is being placed on products that can serve both civilian needs and civil protection purposes during times of crisis.”
Article by Anita Jaunbelzere
Originally published in the May 2026 issue of Baltijas Koks magazine.