The traditions of science in Latvia

The beginnings of research activities in the territory of Latvia

The adoption of Western European professional research traditions and trends can be traced as far back as the 16th Century to the work of quite a few private scientists and medical doctors. The Bibliotheca Rigensis founded in 1524 is the foundation stone of the present Academic Library of Latvia. Research in a more organized form got under way towards the end of the 18th century and at the beginning of the 19th century with the first higher educational unit, the Academia Petrina, being founded in Jelgava (Mitau) in 1775. It was at this time that the first scientific associations also appeared. It should be noted that the University of Tartu (Dorpat) was the common centre for higher education and science in both the territories of Estonia and Latvia during the so­called "Swedish Times" of the 17th Century as well as after the renewal of that university in 1802. Mainly German scientists worked there but also the first Latvians seeking a higher education went first to Tartu.

The work of German scientists dominated in Latvia until the middle of the 19th Century. For example, the German philosopher J.G. Herder worked in Riga in the 18th Century and many first editions of I. Kant's works were also printed in Riga. Research in chemistry and physics also began at that time with G.F. Parrot's works on osmosis and research in pharmaceutical chemistry by Latvian­born naturalist D.H. Grindel. In 1778 J.B. Fischer and in 1784 J.J. Ferber recorded the first descriptions of the nature and environment of the Vidzeme and Kurzeme regions. The first popular encyclopedia of science in the Latvian language was written by G.F. Stender in 1774. An Astronomy observatory was built near Peter's Academy in 1783. This academy was closely associated with the Courland (Kurzeme) Society for Literature and the Arts which was founded in 1815. T. Grothuss of the Society formulated the first theory of electrolysis in 1805 and some of the basic laws of photochemistry in 1818. The St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences stimulated much research with expeditions and studies of Latvia's nature and its people. Many members of the academy were of Baltic origin. One of the main works on Latvian folklore, K. Barons' "Latvju Dainas" (1894­1915) was published with financial support of the St. Petersburg Academy of Science.

The Riga Polytechnical Institute was founded in 1862 modelling itself on the Zurich Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule and as such was the first polytechnic institute of higher education in the Russian Empire. Its professors were all well known scientists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, e.g. the physician A. Toepler, electrical engineer E. Arnold, and the engineering scientist W. Ritter became professors of the Riga Polytechnical Institute. W. Ostwald, one of the founders of physical chemistry formulated the general rules of homogenous basic ­ acid catalysis in Riga. He also invented the Ostwald viscosimeter and in 1909 was awarded the Nobel Prize for his research on the theory of catalysis and chemical equilibrium. Paul Walden, the son of a Latvian peasant, discovered what is known as the "Walden Inversion" in 1896 and formulated a dynamic stereochemistry and the basic laws of electro­chemistry of nonaqueous solutions (1899­1915). He was nominated several times for the Nobel Prize in chemistry. P. Bohl performed research in mathematical topology and on quasiperiodic functions.

Until 1896 lectures were held in the German language at the Riga Polytechnical Institute and after that time in the Russian language. This institute became the centre for technological sciences and chemistry and gained a considerable international reputation. It was at this institute that many later well­known Latvian, German, Russian, Polish, and Estonian professors gained their most significant tertiary education. Interesting to note is that one of the pioneers of rocketry and astronautics, F. Zander was also a student of the Riga Polytechnical Institute.

The first Republic of Latvia (1918-1940)

After World War I and the formation of an independent Republic of Latvia, the University of Latvia was established in 1919 on the foundations of the Riga Polytechnical Institute. Researchers at the University continued the tradition of the Riga school of chemistry. Research work in the humanities, agriculture, and medicine also began at this time. Among the teaching staff of the university there were many Latvian professors who had been educated at Tartu, St. Petersburg and Moscow as well as professors of the former Riga Polytechnical Institute. Among the most prominent professors was J. Endzelins, one of the founders of Baltic linguistics, a member of 6 different academies, and the formulator of Latvian grammar. Specialists in national economies such as K. Balodis, the sinologist P. Smits, engineering scientist A. Vitols, archaeologist F. Balodis, and biochemist R. Krimbergs are also worthy of mention. A whole new generation of Latvian scientists grew out of the University of Latvia. Lectures were held in the Latvian language and the first lexicon of Latvian scientific terminology was created. Many of these scholars such as M. E. Straumanis, G. Vanags, and B. Jirgensons in chemistry, H. Skuja in algology, P. Stradins in medicine and its history, J. Primanis in anthropology, A. Kalnins in forestry etc. achieved international recognition.

After 1934 when President Karlis Ulmanis introduced authoritarian rule in Latvia, the policy on science was controlled mostly by the State. During this period there were three major priorities in research:

At that time several research institutes outside the University of Latvia were formed such as the Institute of Latvian History in 1936 and in 1939 the Institute for Research into the Earth's Resources. It was on the foundation of these institutions that President Ulmanis planned to create a national Latvian Academy of Science. The private Academia Scientarium Latviensis existed already in 1932 as successor to the Research Commission of the Riga Latvian Society which had been formed in 1869.

The Academy of Agriculture was founded in Jelgava in 1939.

World War II and the Soviet period

In 1940, after the Soviet Union had occupied and incorporated Latvia, both the University and the Academy of Agriculture continued their work. During World War II and in particular during 1944 more than 60% of the teaching staff of the University of Latvia and the Academy of Agriculture in Jelgava fled to the West. Many of these scientists later worked in the universities of Western Europe, America as well as in Australia and a whole new generation of exiled Latvian scientists appeared abroad.

After World War II, science in Latvia developed concurrently with science under the control of the Soviet Union's governmental and administrative bodies. As a result of the Soviet organizational plan, the Latvian Academy of Sciences was founded in 1946. Later, many technical faculties separated from the University and new institutions were formed. The Riga Polytechnical Institute was restored in 1958 (now it is called the Riga Technical University) and the Riga Medical Institute was created in 1950. The Academy of Sciences started to take on the role of the Ministry of Science as it controlled a great number of research institutes. By the end of the 1980's, the Academy had 3 departments including 16 research institutes. These institutes enjoyed considerable financial support and as a result, most of the high quality research was concentrated in the Academy's institutes, despite the fact that the total number of research personnel was less than in higher education institutions. Especially developed was research in the areas of physics (magnetic hydro­dynamics, solid state physics), polymer mechanics, informatics, chemistry (medical and heterocyclic compound chemistry, plasma chemistry, wood chemistry) as well as virology, molecular biology and hydro­biology. 25% of original drugs developed by the Soviet Union were synthesized in Latvia. Especially noteworthy was the anti­cancer drug "Ftorafur" [Tegafur] (S. Hiller and research associates) which is still being produced in Riga and exported to Japan. The isolating material "Ripor", produced in Riga was used effectively to cover Russian spacecraft including the vehicle used in the flight to Mars. Since 1965, the Latvian Academy of Sciences has published leading journals in the Soviet Union on magnetic hydro­dynamics, polymer mechanics, heterocyclic compound chemistry, automatics, and computer technology. These journals were translated (and are still being translated) into English and reprinted in the USA. Riga also became a centre where some notable international scientific meetings have taken place. One of the most remarkable of these meetings was in 1970 ­ the 7th IUPAC Symposium on the Chemistry of Natural Products. There were some 1,800 participants including several Nobel Prize laureates. Researchers in the fields of Latvian linguistics, archaeology, ethnography, folklore studies and demographic process analysis should also be noted for their remarkable work.

Many high level researchers in the Academy's institutes were involved in the development of Soviet technology and thus were directly or indirectly integrated into the Soviet military complex. For these researchers international contact was strictly limited. It was for this reason also that a major component of high level research was separated not only from University activities but also from international science research prospects abroad.

It is now well known that especially over the last decade of the Soviet Period, this highly centralized and extensively developed research system had little value for Latvia itself. The collapse of the political and economic system of the Soviet Union at the end of the 1980's created an opportunity to reform Latvian Science and Research. In 1988, the Latvian Association of Scientists was founded and as a result there was a complete reform of the organizational, administrative, and funding system of science and research in Latvia.

The renewal of independence

In 1990 the Latvian Council of Science was formed and the transition to a new grant system of funding projects on a competitive basis was initiated.

At the end of 1991 the first governmental department responsible for science and research was established. The Latvian Academy of Sciences re-organized yet again into an association of prominent scientists in 1992. The majority of the Academic Institutes were subordinated to the Ministry of Education and several of these associated themselves with the University of Latvia.

The Department of Science and Research was founded in 1991 within the Ministry of Education. The latter was renamed as the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture in 1993 and after as the Ministry of Education and Science.

During the period of transformation many of these institutes considerably intensified their international activities. They signed major agreements and contracts with colleagues from abroad and many researchers participated in competitions for international grants for scientific projects.