STDI Guidelines
STDI Guidelines are related with the use of cultural, natural, economy and social capital established by the sustainable development strategy and relate directly to the 2nd and 3rd. Implementation of priorities “Innovative and efficient economy” and “Paradigm shift in education”. STDI Guidelines are developed in accordance with the long term objectives of sustainable development strategy and priority lines of action.
STDI Guidelines are developed in accordance with medium-term national level planning document of hierarchically higher level: the National Development Plan for 2014-2020 (hereinafter referred to as the NDP2020). According to the vision of NDP2020, by 2020 Latvian Science will be concentrated in scientific institutes, which are competitive in the level of world’s developed countries. An essential part of these studies shall be co-financed by private companies, universities and the private sector will work jointly on creation of new, globally competitive products. Collaborative work of science and business will continue to create new innovative and creative products and services, competitive in a global market. Areas covered in the Guidelines (STDI) shall be viewed in accordance with the NDP priority “Growth of National Economy”, which provides that the growth of competitiveness of Latvian products and services and increase in export volumes, requires close commercial cooperation with the science, promoting the private sector’s interest to invest in research and innovation. “NDP 2020 puts forward the following sectoral STDI objectives: (1) 1.5% of gross domestic product investments in research and development by the year 2020, purposefully focusing on enhancement of attraction of human resources, the development of innovative ideas, improvement of research infrastructure, collaboration of higher education, science and private sector, as well as the transfer of research and innovation in business; (2) by commercialisation of knowledge, promote creation and introduction in production of innovative, internationally competitive products with high added value, thus enhancing the output proportion of these products in the national economy.
Objectives and performance indicators of Latvia included in NDP 2020 are established in accordance with objectives of “Latvian National Reform Programme for implementation of “EU 2020″ strategy” (hereinafter referred to as NRP), approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on November 16, 2010. NRP include a medium-term macroeconomic development scenario, the main macro-structural challenges (obstacles) and directions reforms in Latvian economy, as well as the quantitative targets of Latvia by 2020 for smart, sustainable and integrating strategy in the context of “Europe 2020” and the main policy directions for their achievement. In accordance with the main objective set in Europe 2020 to invest 3% of the EU GDP in research and development (hereinafter referred to as the R&D), with the programme Latvia has adopted a quantitative objective to increase the funding invested in R&D 1.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Latvia by 2020.
In October 6, 2011 the European Commission published the proposals for regulations of the single strategic framework funds of the European Union (hereinafter – the EU) for the planning period of 2014–2020, where principles for establishment of funding available for EU Member States and the possible areas of support are set out, as well as issues of the EU Cohesion fund (hereinafter – the EU funds) policy management and implementation for years 2014-2020. A proposal for a regulation that establishes common rules for issues related with the development of the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and implementation of the European Fund for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries