LATVIAN-AMERICAN
Innovation
Award

BAFF, the American Chamber of Commerce in Latvia (AmCham),  and the U.S. Embassy in Riga in cooperation with TechHub Riga and the Latvian Startup Association Startin.LV, are pleased to announce the second Latvian-American Innovation Award. The winner will receive 10,000 Euro (gross) and a runner-up 5,000 Euro (gross).

The Award is created to highlight and promote entrepreneurship, research-driven innovation, and closer economic ties between Latvia and the United States. The award recognizes innovation across business and commerce, academic and scientific research, medicine and health, the environment, energy, and education.

Applications will be accepted from Latvian residents or organizations registered in Latvia. The applications should come directly from the applicants themselves, rather than as nominations on behalf of another entity.

Innovations will be evaluated in accordance with the selection criteria such as innovativeness, impact, applicability, collaboration, project maturity and value creation.

In the selection of winners, the following factors will be taken into account:

  • The development and implementation of the innovation has taken place in Latvia;

  • The project is the result of work conducted in the framework of U.S.-Latvia academic, commercial, professional, or artistic partnership or clear collaborative effort;

  • The Latvian initiator and responsible person/entity has strong ties with the United States;

  • The project has been funded or sponsored by a U.S. source.

To find out more about the Awards, its selection criteria and eligibility, please visit: amcham.lv

2018 Awards

Aerones – 1st place winners

The winners of the 1st Latvian-American Innovation Award were Aerones and runner-up Solfeg.io based on the following criteria: innovation, impact, applicability, collaboration, project maturity and value. The winner received a monetary prize of €10,000 and the runner-up €5,000. The winners also received a custom-made award symbolizing creativity and innovation.

Solfegio.io – runner-up recipients

Aerones builds heavy-lift drones for wind turbine cleaning, deicing and applying coatings to improve wind turbine efficiency. The drone can lift up to 440lbs of weight and can be used both for cleaning and deicing wind turbines. More: aerones.com

Solfeg.io is the brand new and innovative music teaching application and software for pupils and youth used by music teachers across America and Latvia to help teach kids how to play a specific instrument or to study music theory through fun and practical experience. More: solfeg.io

BAFF alumni celebrate Latvian-American Innovation Awards

Anatomy Next for their innovation Trauma Simulator and SAF Tehnika for their innovation PhoeniX C received Honorable Mentions presented by the U.S. Ambassador to Latvia, Nancy Bikoff Pettit.

Anatomy Next has expanded the technology in medical training with their Trauma Simulator, a virtual reality training system that allows medical students to practice and improve their performance in emergency situations.

To aid in the transition from the ATSC 1.0 transmitters to ATSC 3.0, SAF Tehnika has created the PhoeniX C STL system to deliver both standards from TV broadcasting studios to the transmitter site for programing delivered over the air to the public.

Keynote speakers for the inaugural event were Nancy Bikoff Pettit, the U.S. Ambassador to Latvia; Arvils Aseradens, Minister of Economics of Latvia; Laura Lyons, BAFF/CIEE Director, Exchange Foundations; Andris Berzins, Co-Founder of TechHub Riga, Egita Polanska, Chairwoman of the Board of Latvian Startup Association Startin.LV and Arnis Kakulis, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Latvia.