Business idea creators in technology fields are invited to apply for the pre-acceleration program "Elevate"

Until 31 July, university accelerator UniLab invites founders of technology-based business ideas to apply for the Elevatepre-accelerator programme. The programme is designed to help early-stage teams accelerate startup development and prepare for investment.

Applications are open to teams with at least one member affiliated with a Latvian university, including current students, graduates who completed their studies within the past year, researchers, or university employees. Teams working on the commercialisation of university intellectual property are also encouraged to apply.

Applicants must have a product prototype or technology at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 or higher. This means the technology has been validated through laboratory experiments, simulations, or small-scale prototypes, confirming its core assumptions, but has not yet been integrated into a complete system or tested in an operational environment.

"Like many universities across Europe and the United Kingdom, UniLab's Elevate programme provides teams from Latvia's leading universities with practical experience in developing science-based business ideas, designing commercialisation strategies, and collaborating with potential customers and investors, including internationally. More broadly, Elevate strengthens university innovation strategies and contributes to the long-term growth of Latvia's technology-driven economy," says Toby Moore, Entrepreneur in Residence at UniLab.

Starting on 1 September, up to 10 selected teams will participate in a seven-month programme free of charge, developing their startups step by step through a structured curriculum delivered remotely.

Alongside the learning programme, participants will work closely with experienced mentors, business development advisors, and industry experts. Teams will take part in practical workshops, meet investors, present their solutions, and build valuable partnerships through UniLab's international network.

Thanks to UniLab's partnership with one of the Nordic region's leading pre-accelerators, Accelerace, participants will also gain access to a self-paced online learning platform featuring video lectures from international experts, practical startup tools, and proven methodologies that can be applied according to each team's stage of development.

This year, the three best-performing teams will have the opportunity to receive funding through the Riga Technical University Student Innovation Grant Programme, with financial support of up to €14,000 per team. UniLab will also provide additional financial support to other teams demonstrating strong commercialisation potential.

This spring, deep tech company P-Agro Minerals became one of only 70 companies selected by the European Commission for the European Innovation Council (EIC) Pre-Accelerator call supporting early-stage deep tech ventures. As a result, the company secured €500,000 to further develop its technology, strengthen its capabilities across Europe, and advance a globally competitive science-based solution. P-Agro Minerals is developing a filtration technology capable of recovering phosphorus from wastewater for reuse as agricultural fertilizer, supporting the principles of the circular economy.

Another Elevate alumnus, defence technology startup SUBmerge Baltic, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the French defence and naval technology company Naval Group. The partnership aims to integrate SUBmerge Baltic's autonomous underwater drones into various Naval Group vessel platforms. Naval Group's largest shareholder is the French Government, and the company reported €4.7 billion in revenue in 2025.

Applications for the Elevate programme are open until 31 July via the online application platform.

UniLab is a university accelerator jointly founded and operated by Riga Technical University, the University of Latvia, the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, and Riga Stradiņš University. Its mission is to support the development of science-based university startups in Latvia. Since 2020, 64 teams have graduated from the Elevate pre-accelerator. Nearly half have gone on to establish companies, and several have secured their first investments shortly after completing the programme.