Workshop at the Ministry of Economics of Republic of Latvia Highlights Progress in Innovation Procurement Under the Interreg BSR “PPI4Cities” Project

On 23 October 2025, the Ministry of Economics of Republic Of Latvia organised a workshop titled “Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme Project ‘PPI4Cities’ – Support for the Implementation of Innovation Procurement”. The event was carried out as part of the PPI4Cities project activities aimed at strengthening the capacity of public authorities to implement innovation procurement.

The workshop brought together 47 representatives from municipalities across Latvia. Participants exchanged experience in a constructive and collaborative setting, focusing on tools, good practices, and opportunities to advance innovation procurement at the local and national level.

During the event, participants were introduced to the project’s objectives, key activities, and the recommendations prepared within PPI4Cities to support the uptake of innovation-friendly procurement approaches. A representative of the Procurement Monitoring Bureau presented the latest developments and policy direction in the field of innovation procurement in Latvia.

Good practice examples were shared by municipalities and ecosystem partners. A representative of Riga Municipality presented lessons learned from the project “Development of 5G Systems for the Protection of Life and Public Health in Riga – 5G4LIVES”, while the organisation VEFRESH highlighted the main conclusions and future perspectives of the IPROMO project related to procuring innovative products and services.

The workshop also featured an expert panel discussion, during which participants identified current challenges and needs related to innovation procurement. The discussion focused on ways to improve the enabling framework and to strengthen support mechanisms that would help public buyers adopt innovation-oriented procurement practices.

The event concluded with a focus group session, where participants outlined the key needs of municipalities in introducing new solutions through public procurement, as well as the main drivers and barriers influencing future uptake of innovation procurement in public administration.

Participants were invited to register on and actively use the PPI4Cities platform, which provides practical guidance, tools, and resources to support public authorities in integrating innovation procurement into their daily work.

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