Rīga, Latvia - Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) has been awarded nearly €1.5 million in funding under the prestigious Marie Skłodowska‑Curie Actions (MSCA) COFUND programme, strengthening its position in internationally competitive research.

The funding has been secured through the “Choose Europe for Science” initiative - a new pilot programme of the European Commission, designed to attract and retain top research talent in Europe. In this first call, only 16 projects were selected across Europe, placing RSU among a highly competitive group of leading research institutions

Driving interdisciplinary research and talent attraction

The project will be implemented by the RSU Institute of Microbiology and Virology, in collaboration with the RSU Social Sciences Research Centre, combining biomedical and social science expertise.

“This call came at exactly the right moment for us. At RSU and particularly at the Institute of Microbiology and Virology, over the past years we have strategically invested in building strong, internationally visible research groups and modern infrastructure. What has been missing at a systemic level is a stable, competitive, and transparent postdoctoral career pathway that genuinely allows talented researchers to stay, develop, and commit long-term,” says Zaiga Nora-Krūkle, Director and Lead Researcher at the RSU Institute of Microbiology and Virology.

This interdisciplinary approach will support the recruitment of outstanding postdoctoral researchers from Europe and beyond, while advancing research on biomedical challenges and health‑related social processes.

Supporting the next generation of researchers

The funding will enable RSU to recruit six postdoctoral researchers - four in life sciences (including virology, immunology, and molecular biology) and two in social sciences. They will benefit from high‑level supervision, international collaboration, and structured career development pathways, contributing to stronger support for early‑career researchers at RSU and beyond.

Strengthening Europe’s research ecosystem

Participation in the highly competitive MSCA COFUND programme highlights RSU’s research quality and growing international visibility. The programme is part of the EU’s flagship initiative to promote scientific excellence, researcher mobility, and cross‑sector collaboration, while also addressing the challenge of precarious research careers by offering more stable, long‑term opportunities.