ERA Chair in Synthetic Biology is part of a consortium, receiving 1.5 mEUR over three years from the RITA program to write a Bioeconomy roadmap for Estonia. ERA Chair Petri Lahtvee is leading the Synthetic Biology subgroup and advising the consortium on novel biotechnology applications to develop a strategy for the development of Estonian bioeconomy.
RITA is a programme supported by the European Regional Development Fund that aims to increase the role of the state in the strategic managing of research and the capabilities of R&D institutions in carrying out socially relevant research. In the framework of the programme, the Estonian Research Council (ETAg) funds socio-economical applied research based on the needs of the state.
The programme aims to:
- increase the role of the state in the strategic managing of research, including in the setting of priorities and the steering of research towards tackling the challenges faced by society;
- strengthen the competency and capabilities of the Ministries to organize applied research and use it to tackle socio-economic problems;
- raise the effectiveness of collaboration among Ministries, state and R&D institutions in planning and conducting R&D in line with national objectives, and boost the capabilities of Estonian R&D institutions in carrying out applied research;
- develop research strands important for the state and support the emergence of the next generation of researchers in these research areas as well as increase the gender balance in the staffing of positions, and the consideration of gender aspects in research.
Read more: here (only in Estonian)
