The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has finalised a grant project competition for 2023, “Support to financing of pre-assessment visits for development cooperation projects in recipient countries designated by the Republic of Latvia”. Funding was awarded to five of the nine project applications submitted.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has granted financial support for the following pre-assessment visits: to the Latvian Information Technology Cluster for a visit to Kyrgyzstan, to SIA Bulduri Horticultural Secondary School for a visit to Uzbekistan, to the State Probation Service for a visit to Ukraine, to SIA Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital for a visit to Uzbekistan, and to SIA Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre for a visit to Rwanda.
During their pre-assessment visits, Latvian experts will examine the actual situation on the ground and needs in the beneficiary countries. The Latvian Information Technology Cluster will explore the information and communication technology (ICT) sector in Kyrgyzstan and, together with local experts, design a joint Latvian-Kyrgyz ICT project. Bulduri Horticultural School and its partners in Uzbekistan will develop a roadmap for future cooperation in the areas of biotechnology, urban horticulture and vertical agriculture development and training. The State Probation Service together with its Lithuanian and Estonian counterparts will evaluate support measures provided for the development and support of Ukraine’s probation system in war conditions. Medical staff from Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital and their Uzbek colleagues already have plans to agree on specific lines of future cooperation in the field of medical education, research and health policy. The Latvian Rural Advisory and Training Centre has devised cooperation projects in the agricultural projects in Rwanda.
Background information
The budget of EUR 20 000 was allocated to the competition in 2023. The minimum grant for one pre-assessment visit was set at EUR 2 000 and the maximum was EUR 5 000. In order to promote the responsibility of applicants for the results of their study visits, applicants and co-operation partners both in Latvia and beneficiary countries are invited to provide their co-financing or to attract co-financing from third parties to carry out the visits. Their own co-financing is also being invested by several grant recipients.
According to the regulations, this year’s competition has been concluded, and funding is no longer available. Decisions on awarding grants were taken in the order of submission of applications.