On 7 November 2025, the city of Daugavpils (Latvia) hosted the StartUP Festival #Daugavpils, the first conference dedicated to the startup ecosystem of the Latgale region, located in the eastern part of the country. The region has a strong historical identity and plays a significant role in Latvia’s industrial development, while in recent years it has promoted initiatives aimed at fostering entrepreneurship, innovation, and cooperation between universities, companies, and public authorities.
Organised by the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA), the event brought together startups, entrepreneurs, researchers, students and investors to discuss innovation, technology, and regional growth opportunities.
The programme featured panels and sessions focused on entrepreneurial mindset, access to funding, internationalisation, and the role of artificial intelligence, alongside practical activities and satellite events related to pitch deck development, deep‑tech solutions, and knowledge transfer. Highlights of the programme included round tables such as “Is it important for Latvia that you create your own start‑up?”, “The start‑up as a mindset” and “From Latvia to the global market”, as well as a visit to the laboratories of Daugavpils University, offering participants first‑hand insight into academic research capacities. The discussions also addressed challenges such as the adoption of deep‑tech technologies in food supply chains, underlining the relevance of innovation in strategic sectors.
Within the framework of the ENHANCE project, one of the alliance partners, Riga Technical University (RTU), actively participated in the festival through promotion, demonstration and dissemination activities, bringing innovative initiatives and examples of collaboration between university, research and industry closer to the public. This presence helped highlight the role of higher education and applied research as key drivers of regional development, technological entrepreneurship, and projects with social and environmental impact. As is the case with ENHANCE, a project that contributes to driving sustainable solutions, these initiatives are oriented, for example, towards the reduction of fossil fuel use, through technologies that promote energy efficiency, the use of renewable sources such as solar energy, and their application in domestic and urban environments.
ENHANCE’s participation in the StartUP Festival #Daugavpils reinforces the alliance’s commitment to innovation, cross‑sector cooperation, and the strengthening of local entrepreneurial ecosystems, helping to connect talent, research and society beyond major urban centres.