UniLab

Home
Latvia
Riga
UniLab

Latvijā vadošais universitāšu tehnoloģiju biznesa akcelerators

UniLab ļauj tehnoloģijās balstītām universitāšu komandām un jaunuzņēmumiem pārveidot pētniecības atklājumus par veiksmīgiem, augstas pievienotās vērtības uzņēmumiem, izmantojot specializētu mentorēšanu, mērķtiecīgas apmācības un finansējuma atbalstu. UniLab Defence, ko atbalsta Latvijas Aizsardzības ministrija un četras zinātņu universitātes, paātrina divējāda lietojuma dziļo tehnoloģiju jaunuzņēmumu attīstību būdams NATO Ziemeļatlantijas reģiona aizsardzības inovāciju akceleratora DIANA centrs Latvijā. Tā savieno jaunuzņēmumus ar NATO resursiem, testēšanas centriem un gala lietotājiem aizsardzības un rūpniecības jomā.

2026. gadā UniLab uzsāks Latvijā pirmo pirmsakcelerācijas programma aizsardzības jomā, lai izveidotu Latvijas aizsardzības inovāciju ekosistēmu un palīdzētu jaunuzņēmumiem ieviest progresīvus risinājumus valsts un NATO vajadzībām.

04/11/2026

🇨🇿 Back from Prague, preparing for the next NATO DIANA program in Latvia.

It was especially valuable to meet the wider accelerator community face to face - once the program starts, everyone quickly gets busy with their own delivery, so these moments to exchange experience, improve processes, and learn from one another really matter 🙌

We also visited FUTURE FORCES FORUM, where it was a real pleasure to catch up with Alchemy at the NATO DIANA stand. Having worked with them during the previous cohort, it was great to see how they continue to build momentum, strengthen their international presence, and stay active within the wider DIANA ecosystem.

Looking forward to putting all these lessons into practice in 2027!

04/11/2026

We at UniLab believe that the most crucial role of the accelerator is connecting startups with military end-users early, helping them understand operational requirements, validating their solutions in realistic environments, and building partnerships with established defence companies.

This week, we build new partnerships at European Defence Week 🙌

02/11/2026

🏆 Startup Awards 2026 is happening this Friday! An opportunity to recognise the founders, startups and teams contributing to Latvia's growing startup ecosystem.

🔹Organised by Startin.LV and Startup House Riga, the event brings together startups, investors and ecosystem partners to celebrate this year's achievements.

🔹We encourage our community to join the event, connect with fellow founders and celebrate Latvian startup success!

📅 November 6, 2026
🔗 Register here: https://luma.com/5uc63r93

Supported by Latvijas Investīciju un attīstības aģentūra - LIAA, Rīgas investīciju un tūrisma aģentūra, Ekonomikas ministrija, EIT Community Hub Latvia, Nacionālais attīstības plāns and RTU Innovations.

02/11/2026

🇱🇻 Defence Innovation Accelerator for Latvia (DIAL) is in Paris this week.

👉 Meet Detexity, SUBmerge Baltic, and UniLab Defence at European Defence Week.
👉 NEWT21, Ascent Lumina & SUBmerge Baltic will attend EURONAVAL.

Catch them for coffee! They are building future technologies!

01/11/2026

Week 1 of : Defence fundamentals, red teaming and hands-on mentoring.

Our 12 defence and dual-use startups have completed their first week of the DIAL acceleration program, moving from introductions and programme goals to practical work with defence industry mentors.

This week's focus:
🔹 Defence fundamentals – geopolitical threats, military structures and understanding defence end-users.
🔹 Business readiness – legal, IP and regulatory considerations for entering the defence market.
🔹 Practical red teaming – challenging assumptions, identifying vulnerabilities and strengthening operational use cases.
🔹 1:1 mentoring – direct feedback from experienced defence professionals on each team's specific challenges.

The feedback from our cohort has been especially positive about the individual mentoring sessions, practical exercises and access to mentors with deep defence industry experience.

💬 “I'm proud of all 12 teams and the level of engagement we've seen from day one. The founders came prepared, asked challenging questions and made full use of the opportunity to work directly with our mentors. That's exactly the mindset we want to build on throughout DIAL," says Elīne Lizandere, DIAL Program Manager.

A big thank you to all the speakers, mentors and partners who contributed their time and expertise to the first week!

DIAL is Latvia's national defence pre-acceleration program, established by the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia (Aizsardzības ministrija) in cooperation with UniLab.

30/10/2026

The European Innovation Council Accelerator offers up to €2.5M in grant funding and up to €10M in equity investment for deep tech startups bringing breakthrough technologies to market.

A recent example comes from our own community. 👇

Earlier this year, P-Agro Minerals, a UniLab Elevate 2023 alumnus led by Annija Emersone, secured €500,000 through the EIC Pre-Accelerator.

P-Agro is developing the Letonite Filter System, which recovers phosphorus from municipal and industrial wastewater for reuse as agricultural fertilizer.

The funding is now helping the team move closer to commercialisation:
🔹 Building a pilot system for testing at the Adazu Udens wastewater treatment plant.
🔹 Testing the technology under real operating conditions and validating the business model and supply chain.
🔹 Preparing for a technology demonstration in Germany.

Considering EIC funding for your startup?
🗓️ The next EIC Accelerator full-proposal deadline is 4 November 2026 for applicants who have passed the initial stage. Short applications can be submitted on a rolling basis.

Find out more about the funding and how to apply:
https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-funding-opportunities/eic-accelerator_en

29/10/2026

🚀 The future of defence tech is being tested in Latvia — and NATO DIANA startups are part of this journey!

UniLab Defence team is especially proud that two of these innovative startups - Volta Space Technologies & FireSwarm Solutions Inc. - have accelerated through Latvia’s UniLab accelerator 👏 Their participation highlights the importance of connecting international defence tech innovators with Latvia’s startup ecosystem turning acceleration into real-world experimentation and creating opportunities for future technologies to take root in Latvia 🇱🇻

🛡️ At Digital Backbone eXperimentation 2026 (DiBaX26) 12 NATO DIANA innovators are testing emerging technologies. DiBaX26 brings together NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT), Aizsardzības ministrija, the Latvijas armija, and LMT Defence as the technology integrator. This year's event is the biggest one yet and is happening for a fifth year.

28/10/2026

The first challenge for the cohort? Getting off the beaten track. 🥾

We brought together the 12 DIAL startup teams and the team for a day of hiking, team challenges, and creative problem-solving in Mangaļsala. 🤝

A chance to get to know each other, test our teamwork, and build connections before the 10-month programme gets into full swing. 🌿 And some pretty great views along the way! Big thanks to Pretspēks for leading the day!

DIAL, Latvia’s first national defence pre-acceleration programme, was established by the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia (Aizsardzības ministrija) in cooperation with UniLab.

26/10/2026

Defence Tech Meetup Vol. 7 brought together innovators, defence industry leaders, policymakers, investors, and startups working on the next generation of defence and dual-use technologies.

🔹A major highlight of the evening was the official launch of , Latvia’s first national defence pre-acceleration program, introduced by Andris Baumanis, CEO of UniLab. All 12 selected startups took the stage to pitch their technologies and solutions.

🔹 A special thank you to our legal partners Sorainen Latvija and Spridzans, Snipe & Hramcenko for joining the pitch jury and awarding pro bono legal consultations to DIAL startups!

🔹 We were also honoured to welcome Signe Nīgale from Entrepreneurs for Peace (Uzņēmēji Mieram), joined remotely by Ukrainian soldier Aleksandrs, who shared first-hand perspectives from Ukraine.

🔹 Thank you to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia (Latvijas Republikas Ārlietu ministrija) and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Latvia (Aizsardzības ministrija) for their participation and continued commitment to strengthening Latvia’s defence innovation ecosystem.

🤝 This event was made possible with the support of the Rīga City Council, our co-host Startup House Riga, and our friends at Techritory. Special thanks to Drone House for hosting us and Mežpils Alus for providing drinks.

And, of course, thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to the conversations and connections!

📸 Rota Šveicare

22/10/2026

This morning, Andris Baumanis, CEO of UniLab Defence, joined Latvian national television’s morning programme Rīta Panorāma to share more about – Latvia’s first national defence pre-acceleration programme.

🔹He highlighted the technologies our 12 startups are developing, from drone detection and resilient communications to AI-powered solutions, and shared what lies ahead for the teams as they work towards military validation and international markets. Watch the full interview 🔗 https://replay.lsm.lv/.

🚀 And today, we're officially launching at Defence Tech Meetup Vol. 7! Join us to meet the 12 startups, hear their pitches, and connect with Latvia’s defence tech ecosystem.

📍 Riga | October 22, from 16:30
🔗 Register here: https://luma.com/najvk44c

Address

Ķīpsalas Iela 6
Riga

Website

https://unilab.lv/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when UniLab posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.