1.1.1. Brief description of the project summary The knowledge-intensive bioeconomy included in the Latvian Smart Specialisation Strategy adopted in 2013 highlights the importance of innovative technological solutions for environmental and food safety control, facilitating the development of economic sectors. The submitted project focuses on the involvement of multidisciplinary experts in the field of chemistry and microbiology, including young scientists, in industrial research and experimental development of methods for researching chemical and biological contamination of food and environmental samples, creating fast, sensitive and selective innovative multi-component analytical methods for the detection of a wide range of chemical and biological pollutants in food and environmental samples. The developed methods will be validated on the level of the Republic of Latvia, describing the safety of food products of Latvian origin in relation to chemical and biological contaminants levels. The project will ensure transfer of acquired know-how between the direct target groups: Scientific institutions, merchants, food manufacturers, scientists, including young researchers and experts in the field of environment and food safety management. Analytical methods, biological and chemical pollution, experimental development, food and environmental safety, priority economic sectors, sustainability of economic sectors, technology and transfer of know-how.The main objectives of the project are to create and introduce new knowledge and innovative experimental development in the field of analytical chemistry and microbiology of practical significance in the priority economic sectors (agricultural, fisheries, food production, etc.). The research category envisaged by the project is industrial research and experimental development. The project envisages carrying out industrial research and includes the creation of several experimental developments for food safety assessment, ensuring multidisciplinary cooperation between chemical and microbiology experts, including by facilitating the attraction of young scientists to the project activities corresponding to the set-ups set out in the project, to promote the research and innovative capacity of scientific institutions, promoting the participation of Latvian scientific institutions in promoting smart scientific strategy settings, to which the safety assessment of priority economic sectors set out in the bioeconomy strategy is directly applicable and development of innovative technologies for control of food pollutants. The submitted project corresponds to a number of multidisciplinary fields of science identified according to the OECD Sectoral Classification of Sciences: Chemistry (1.4), biology (1.6) and agriculture, forestry, fisheries (4.1). Dissemination of project results is planned in the form of technology and know-how transfer.The project implementation is planned at the scientific institution of the project provider. The project does not plan to attract additional partners. Project results are planned to be reported at local and international scientific conferences (at least 5). The main planned results of the project:-Involved young scientists (4)-Several (2) innovative methods for the determination of chemical and biological pollution have been developed and approved -Provided knowledge transfer in the form of publications (9), conferences (5) and knowledge transfer, as well as two local intellectual property licence agreements.Experimental level of preparation in the project implementation will be:TRL 6 – Technology demonstration in artificially created environment: The model or prototype of the system has been tested in an artificially created environment.Total cost of the project: EUR 449 917.00 (of which amount of ERDF support: EUR 382 429.44);The planned duration of project implementation is thirty months (period: 01.03.2017.-30.08.2019).
