Proposal for the case study on the appropriation of bio-tech

Biotechnology has established scientific traditions and a strong research potential in Latvia developed already in the soviet times thereby positioning Latvia as a respectable scientific centre in the region. While following the restoration of independence of Latvia and the respective political and economic changes in the 1990ties there was a substantial slowdown in this field, in the last decade biotechnology has also become one of the key national priorities in the field of science defined by the Cabinet of Ministers.

The priority area of Organic synthesis and biomedicine was included into the list of priorities already in 2001, with a special programme launched in 2005. The programme focuses on gene technologies and new synthesis technologies of biologically active substances. The programme aims at development of new medications of selective activity and prophylactics by opening up new opportunities for monitoring public health and molecular diagnostics of diseases and by stimulating implementation and production of modern pharmaceutical and biotechnological products in Latvia.

Tasks for attainment of this objective include research and development of new pharmaceuticals and diagnostic techniques based on new methods of organic synthesis and gene technology. In 2006, another state research programme in the newly defined priority area of Agro-biotechnology was launched with a focus on innovative and environment-friendly food production technologies. The Latvian Council of Science in charge of the distribution of research project funding allocated by the state has a special branch commission in molecular biology, microbiology, biotechnology.
Research in biotech is currently mainly concentrated in such academic institutions as the the Institute of Organic Synthesis, the Biomedical Research and Study Centre of the University of Latvia, Institute of Microbiology and Biotechnology of the University of Latvia, Department of Microbiology and biotechnology of the Faculty of Biology at the University of Latvia, Augusts Kirhensteins Institute of Microbiology and Virusology of the Stradins University, Research institute of Biotechnology and veterinary medicine “Sigra” at the Latvia University of Agriculture, Latvian State Institute of Wood Chemistry, etc.
There is also a growing industry in this field in Latvia with companies of various scale operating in the local and international market (e.g., Genera, Biotechnical Center, Biolat, Biosan, Elmi, Olainfarm, Sigra, Pharmaidea, Asla Biotech). The largest one is the joint stock company Grindeks currently maintaining the leading positions in the pharmaceutical market of the Baltic States as a manufacturer with the largest sales amount and aiming to become a significant European pharmaceutical company. In 2006, the Association of Biotechnology of Latvia was established in order to mobilise the existing Latvian companies in the field of at biotechnology. One of its main aims is the consolidation of companies interested in undertaking perspective biotechnology projects in Latvia.
The main public authorities involved in the governance of the field of biotech in Latvia are the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Health, The Food and Veterinary Service. On 12 July 2005 regulations of the Cabinet of Ministers on the statute of the Supervisory board of genetically modified organisms and new foodstuffs was approved. There are also several laws governing the field. On 13 June 2002 the Law on Human genome research was passed governing the development of the national genome database that triggered quite some discussion in Latvia with several amendments subsequently made to the law. On 20 March 2006 the Ministry of Agriculture issued a decree on the formation of a task force for the elaboration of the Biotechnology Law currently being drafted.
On of the main challenges in respect to the field of biotechnology in Latvia is the need of closer links with fundamental science, higher education and foreign laboratories. Fundamental science and links with higher education represent the stimulus for the development of biotechnology in Latvia. Likewise high-level science cannot be maintained in Latvia without intense collaboration with laboratories abroad. The current industry set-up of Latvia does not provide a stimulus for the development of high-tech and in most cases is even incapable of making use of such technologies. This is also one of the major factors determining the importance of cooperation with the top laboratories of other countries. Latvia is a small country hardly capable of developing a large scale biotech industry, but it has several high-class research institutions forced to look for industrial partners abroad and develop other cooperation models in order to be able to commercialise their research results. These are issues that might provide an interesting and valuable contribution to the investigation of the public and private appropriation of knowledge in biotechnology.
Our Centre for Science and Technology Studies of the Latvian Academy of Sciences has accumulated already some knowledge and experience in studying this branch in the framework of various projects including monitoring of the state research programmes, analyzing trends of innovative development and the related activities, identifying major inventions and inventors in Latvia, etc. This could serve as a good basis for a more in-depth study of this branch and the related developments in both public and private sector.