News

On 27 August, the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) welcomed Professor Carol Sze Ki Lin (City University of Hong Kong, CityUHK), a world-renowned researcher with more than 20 years of experience in biorefinery and biomass valorisation. Her lecture, “Development of Waste Biorefineries Towards a Circular Bioeconomy”, highlighted how different types of waste – food waste (domestic and industrial), agriculture, marine, and lignocellulosic – can be converted into high value-added products and technologies that mitigate climate change while delivering tangible benefits for industry...

(Concluding story on LSIWC’s participation in DPN 2025 (11–14 August, Reykjavik)). Ph.D. Miķelis Kirpļuks, researcher at the LSIWC Polymer Laboratory, delivered an oral presentation at DPN 2025 on vitrimer solutions for fibreboard production: “Bio-Based β-Amino Polyester Vitrimers: A Sustainable and Recyclable Adhesive for Fibreboard Production.” In addition, Miķelis also presented a poster contribution from the Polymers-5B project: “Development of Bio-Based Aza-Michael Vitrimers for Reprocessable Polymer Networks.” Vitrimers are thermosetting polymer materials with dynamic covalent bonds...

From 18 to 22 August, Riga Technical University (RTU) hosted the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme “Space Industry-Science Workshop”, which brought together students, academic staff, and industry representatives from Latvia, Finland, Sweden, and other European countries. The programme aims to strengthen collaboration between space science and industry by developing new cooperation models in space mission planning and technology development. The Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) also took part in the seminar, represented by Dr. Uģis Cābulis, Head of the Polymer Laboratory and...

The educational kit “Wood Suitcase for Natural Science Experiments in Schools”, developed by the Latvijas Koks Association, has already become an inspiration for both students and teachers across Latvia. To make this experience even more accessible, with the support of the Latvian Forest Development Fund, a new project is being implemented in 2025 to create video instructions for STEM-related experiments included in the “Wood Suitcase.” Five new video instructions for schools Within the project, five new experiment video guides will be developed, continuing the work started in 2024, when the...

Within the Latvian research landscape, funding instruments offered by the European Research Council (ERC) are gaining increasing importance, providing researchers with the opportunity to implement high-level and internationally competitive projects. To support Latvian researchers in preparing for participation in these calls, an online seminar “Learning from Experience: Submitting ERC Starting Grant Applications” is being organized. The event is dedicated to sharing experiences with leading researchers who have prepared and submitted ERC Starting Grant applications and participated in the...

The future of European aviation is unimaginable without hydrogen. Both the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Union have set the goal of achieving carbon neutrality in aviation by 2050 ( Euractiv 2020; Clean Hydrogen Partnership 2020).This means that the industry is now focused on new aircraft powered by liquid hydrogen (LH₂), along with new technologies to make these solutions safe and efficient. That is why the Polymer Laboratory at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry is implementing the PUR4LH2, led by Dr. Vladimirs Jakušins. The project’s aim is to...