Program

Date

Thursday, 5 March 2026

Location

Portrait Hall, 3rd Floor
Latvian Academy of Sciences

9:00 – 10:00

Registration & Early Morning Coffee

10:00 – 10:40

Opening Ceremony

Musical Performance

Address

Prof., Dr. Inese Vaidere – Member of the European Parliament, Member of the Committee on International Trade, Member of Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection

Address

MBA Viktors Valainis – Minister of Economics of the Republic of Latvia

Address

Prof., PhD. Andris Sprūds – Minister of Defence of the Republic of Latvia

Address

MBA Kaspars Melnis – Minister of Climate and Energy of the Republic of Latvia

Address

MBA Ieva Jāgere – Director General of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia

Address

Prof., PhD. Ivars Kalviņš – President and Academician of the Latvian Academy of Sciences

Moderator: PhD. Nina Linde, Director of the Institute of Economics of the Latvian Academy of Sciences

10:40 – 13:00

1st Plenary Session

Innovative Economy in Times of Geopolitical Change

PhD. Solomon Darwin – Director of the Garwood Centre for Corporate Innovation and Centre for Growth Markets, University of California – Berkeley, USA

Human Capital, Responsibility, and Sustainable Growth in a Fragmented World

PhD. Pamela Bernabei – President of the A. Meneghetti Scientific and Humanistic Research Foundation, Switzerland/Italy

New Sources of Growth & Inclusive Leadership

PhD. Anthony Giannoumis – Global Expert in Inclusive Leadership, Chair of the Board of the "Inclusive Creation", Social Entrepreneur, Equality Advocate, Norway

Innovation's Best Results in the Baltic States

LL.M Ansis Spridzāns – Attorney, Asset Manager, Start-up Investor, Member of the Board of Directors at the Latvian Business Angel Network (LatBAN), Latvia

Innovations in Smart Specialization Areas for Increasing Latvia's Export Capacity: the latest research results

PhD. Jānis Vanags – Lead Researcher of the Institute of Economics of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, Latvia

Moderator: Gerald Hoppstaedter, Entrepreneur, Adviser to the Director of the Institute of Economics of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, Latvia / Austria

13:00 – 14:00

Lunch and Coffee Break

B2B, B2S, S2S networking

14:00 – 15:30

Panel Experts Question & Answer Session

PhD. Ivars Kalviņš – President of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, Latvia

PhD. Solomon Darwin – Director of the Garwood Centre for Corporate Innovation and Centre for Growth Markets, University of California – Berkeley, USA

PhD. Pamela Bernabei – President of the A. Meneghetti Scientific and Humanistic Research Foundation, Switzerland

LL.M Ansis Spridzāns – Attorney, Asset Manager, Start-up Investor, Member of the Board of Directors at the Latvian Business Angel Network (LatBAN), Latvia

PhD. Jānis Vanags – Lead Researcher of the Institute of Economics of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, Latvia

Moderator: Gerald Hoppstaedter, Entrepreneur, Adviser to the Director of the Institute of Economics of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, Latvia / Austria

15:30 – 16:00

Coffee Break

B2B, B2S, S2S networking

16:00 – 17:30

2nd Plenary Session

Open Innovation, Transparency and Responsibility

PhD. Asta Pundziene – Chairwoman of the Doctoral Committee of Management, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania

Turbulence as a Driving Force: Latvia's People and Economy over 150 years

PhD. Gatis Krūmiņš – Leading Researcher at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, Latvia

17:30

End of Day 1

Date

Friday, 6 March 2026

Location

Portrait Hall, 3rd Floor
Latvian Academy of Sciences

10:00 – 11:00

Registration & Morning Coffee

11:00 – 11:30

International Women's Day Award "LIEPA" Ceremony

Special Event

In collaboration with the EQUALS Global Partnership

Moderator

PhD. Nina Linde

Director of the Institute of Economics of the Latvian Academy of Sciences

11:30 – 12:00

Inspirational Workshop

12:00 – 14:00

Side Events - Workshops (Session 1)

Education, Innovation and Human Being's Functional Utilitarianism

Moderators

PhD. Pamela Bernabei

President of the A. Meneghetti Scientific and Humanistic Research Foundation, Switzerland

PhD. Zane Drinķe

Chairwoman of the Knowledge Economy Council of the Latvian Chamber Commerce and Industry, Latvia

Elīna Pētersone

Director of the Department of Entrepreneurship Competitiveness of the Ministry of Economics, Latvia

Investing in Dual-Use Innovation: AI, High-Tech Manufacturing & Innovative Entrepreneurship

Moderators

PhD. Guntis Barzdins

Leading Researcher at the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory of the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics of the University of Latvia, Academician of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, Latvia

Beate Hermansone

Senior Expert of the Department of Entrepreneurship Competitiveness of the Ministry of Economics, Latvia

New Asian Markets: Export, Investment & Geopolitical Shifts

Moderators

H.E. Timur Rakhmanov

Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to the Republic of Latvia

H.E. Namrata S. Kumar

The first resident Ambassador of the Republic of India to the Republic of Latvia

Konstantin Siniushin

Entrepreneur, Partner of the Investment Fund "The Untitled Ventures", Kyrgyzstan

Anna Svarena

Head of Customer Service of the INDUSTRA Bank, Latvia

Alexander Vidyakin

Head of the Board "Baltic-Central Asian Economic Development Association", Latvia

To be confirmed

Representative of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia

14:00 – 14:30

Lunch and Coffee Break

B2B, B2S, S2S networking

14:30 – 16:30

Side Events - Workshops (Session 2)

Biomedicine, MedTech & Pharma: Innovation & Investments for an Aging Society

Moderators

PhD. Indriķis Muižnieks

Full Member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, Latvia

Olevs Nikers

Senior Expert of the Department of Entrepreneurship Competitiveness of the Ministry of Economics, Latvia

PhD. Osvalds Pugovičs

Acting Director of the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Latvia

PhD. Divya Vishwanath

Entrepreneur, Data Scientist and Garwood Fellow of Haas School of Business, University of California – Berkeley, India

Investing in Dual-Use Innovation: AI, Miltech, High-Tech Manufacturing & Innovative Entrepreneurship

Moderators

PhD. Guntis Barzdins

Leading Researcher at the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory of the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics of the University of Latvia, Academician of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, Latvia

Col. Māris Tūtins

Head of Information Management and Analysis Department of the National Armed Forces, Latvia

To be confirmed

Representative of the Ministry of Defence, Latvia

Knowledge Based Bioeconomy & Finance for Startups

Moderators

PhD. Baiba Rivža

Academician of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, Latvia

Egija Aurēlija Liepiņa

Senior Expert of the Department of Entrepreneurship Competitiveness of the Ministry of Economics, Latvia

To be confirmed

Latvijas jaunuzņēmumu asociācija "Startin.LV"

19:00 – 22:00

Gala Dinner (with Invitations)

Program:
• Ceremonial Opening of the 80th Anniversary of the Latvian Academy of Sciences
• Latvian folk songs, music & dance, networking
• Certificates for participants & other surprises

Dress Code

Business – at the Forum
Black Tie – at the Gala Dinner

Date

Saturday, 7 March 2026

Location

Old Riga
Riga, Latvia

12:00 – 14:00

Guided Cultural Program

Join us for a special guided tour through the historic streets of Old Riga, combining cultural exploration with valuable networking opportunities.

Program Highlights

Guided Excursion Around Old Riga
Explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site with an expert guide, discovering the rich history and architecture of Latvia's capital
B2B Networking
Business to Business connections and discussions
B2S Networking
Business to Science collaboration opportunities
S2S Networking
Science to Science knowledge exchange and partnerships

Thank You for Joining Us!

We look forward to welcoming you to this memorable closing experience where culture meets innovation, and new partnerships are forged in the historic heart of Riga.

Connect, Learn, and Innovate