Past Events
Project Natalion at the 'Career Day 2024' exhibition in Riga
On March 8, project Natalion was showcased at the 'Career Day 2024' inspiring students to pursue careers in science and at the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis. The exhibition 'Career Day' serves as a platform for top companies to inform students about internships and job opportunities in engineering, natural, and social sciences.
Roundtable discussion 'Business & Science'
On December 14, Dr. Chin-Soon Phan, the Head of Natural Products Research group, participated in discussion "Business & Science", which gathered the research group leaders from LIOS and members of the Association of the Latvian Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry. Dr. Chin-Soon Phan presented the main research directions of his group, emphasized the importance of natural products research at institutional, national, and EU level, and indicated the possible opportunities for collaboration between academia and industry.
Project Natalion at the 3rd Scientific Conference of the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis
Within the framework of the 3rd Scientific Conference of the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis (November 28–29, 2023, Riga), project NATALION welcomed Sigvards Krongorns with presentation “Investor Readiness 101: First Steps in Commercialization”. During the presentation, Sigvards Krongorns provided an insight into technology commercialization and shared his experience in the field of health innovations and establishment of start-ups.
Sigvards Krongorns is a partner in the Verge HealthTech Fund and one of the founders of company “CastPrint”. “CastPrint” offers treatment for various types of bone fractures using individually adapted 3D printed retainers.
The iGEM 2023 Grand Jamboree
Dr. Anna Stikāne, the Head of LIOS Innovation Hub, took the exciting opportunity to participate in the iGEM 2023 Grand Jamboree – the World Expo of Synthetic Biology (November 2–5, 2023). During the exhibition, Dr. Anna Stikāne participated in the iGEM Startups programme supporting iGEM Latvia–Riga team – the winner of the iGEM 2023 Grand Jamboree Gold Medal for Best Genetic Part. Bringing together researchers, industry representatives, startup founders, investors, journalists, experts in governance and policy, and general public, the Grand Jamboree was also a great networking event, which allowed Dr. Anna Stikāne to build new connections for future collaborations within project NATALION.
Project Natalion presented at the 31st International Symposium on the Chemistry of Natural Products and the 11th International Congress on Biodiversity
During the workshop “Accelerating natural product discovery by academic and industrial collaborative initiatives” organized by the European Research Infrastructure Consortium for chemical biology and early drug discovery EU-OPENSCREEN in the frame of the 31st International Symposium on the Chemistry of Natural Products and the 11th International Congress on Biodiversity (October 15–19, 2023, Naples), Prof. Aigars Jirgensons shared the experience of Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis in participating in European collaborative initiatives. These initiatives aim to expand the availability of high-quality, annotated natural product-based libraries for drug discovery projects.
Dr. Anna Stikāne participates in the first Latvian innovation ecosystem summit Innovate360°
On September 29, Dr. Anna Stikāne participated in the first Latvian innovation ecosystem summit Innovate360° organized by Riga Technical University (RTU) Science and Innovation Centre. The event gathered esteemed experts from leading innovation countries, such as Adi Yoffe and Irit Idan from Israel, who shared their experience of what makes Israel famous as the country of successful startups. Other speakers shared their knowledge of open innovation gathering diverse range of stakeholders (Kristaps Banga, Accenture Baltics) and the structural challenges specific for Latvia (Robert Grundke, OECD). Within the event, panel discussions highlighting the role of education for developing innovation mindset from schools to universities were also organized.
Innovate360° was a valuable opportunity for Dr. Anna Stikāne to connect with other attendees – technology transfer professionals from RTU, consulting professionals interested in connecting with chemistry and pharmacology experts, specialists from open-source research software development, as well as other members developing biotechnology sub-ecosystem within the larger innovation ecosystem of Latvia.
