News

Today, as part of Shadow Day, the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC) opened its doors to students interested in experiencing the world of science firsthand. A total of 37 students from various schools across Latvia – including Riga, Jelgava, and other regions – visited the institute. Most participants were in grades 10–11, although younger students also took part, demonstrating an early interest in science. Throughout the day, students visited laboratories, met scientists and engineers, and learned how work is carried out with wood, polymers, and other materials. They also...

The brewing industry generates a significant amount of lignocellulosic by-products, the most important of which is brewers’ spent grain (BSG). It accounts for up to 85% of all solid residues from beer production and is rich in cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, and proteins, which determine its potential in the bioeconomy and in the development of high value-added products. In Latvia, approximately 0.75 million hectolitres of beer are produced annually, resulting in around 15,000 tonnes of spent grain per year ( Universa et al., 2025). Despite this substantial resource, spent grain is still...

The Scientific Director of the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC), Dr. sc. ing. Uģis Cābulis, and Leading Researcher of the Polymer Laboratory, PhD Miķelis Kirpluks, participated in the international mission of the Interreg project 4Growth in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The mission brought together representatives from four countries – Latvia, Estonia, Finland, and Sweden. Latvia’s participation in the project is coordinated by Cleantech Latvia. During the visit, meetings were held with academic and innovation ecosystem representatives, including City University of Hong Kong, Hong...

Three months ago, an experiment was launched at the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC), where the student team “The Mushroomers" (Sēņotne”), led by research assistant and Master’s student Mikus Kampuss and supervised by leading researcher Dr. biol. Ilze Irbe, set out to cultivate turkey tail mushroom ( Trametes versicolor ) under laboratory conditions. A fungus that naturally grows in the wild was, in a sense, “persuaded” to develop in a controlled laboratory environment. Today, this question already has its first answer. The project is implemented within the framework of the...

On 31 March 2026, an information seminar of the European Space Agency (ESA) on the national programme Requesting Party Activities (RPA) will take place in Cēsis at the Space Education Center. The Scientific Director of the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry (LSIWC), Dr.sc.ing. Uģis Cābulis, will also participate in the event. The aim of the seminar is to present the upcoming RPA call, including its structure, funding opportunities, and principles for proposal preparation. The programme includes information sessions led by ESA experts, covering proposal development and educational...

During the Institute’s 80th anniversary celebration on March 20, a special place was dedicated to those whose professional lives have been closely intertwined with the Institute’s history, development, and daily work. Alongside addresses by the Institute’s leadership, representatives of the sector, and cooperation partners, the anniversary programme also included a tribute to the longest-serving colleagues of the Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry. At this meaningful moment, appreciation was expressed to researchers whose long-term work has formed the professional foundation of the...