The aim of the project is to strengthen the capacity and excellence of the academic research and development human capital of the University of Latvia in the fields of smart specialization, promoting the preparation of a larger number of doctoral degree winners with the relevant knowledge, skills and competences, as well as increasing the capacity of the staff involved in research. The objective of the project corresponds to the objective of the operational programme ‘Growth and Employment’ and the implementation of the European Union cohesion policy programme 2021-2027. The project foresees the following activities: Involvement of doctoral students in study or research work at the University of Latvia or in the organisation of the project partner, research jobs created in supported structures, project management, information and publicity measures. As a result of these activities, it is planned to support at least 91 doctoral students who have received support from the European Regional Development Fund for study or scientific research work at the University of Latvia or a partner institution of the project, provided that at least 25% of them obtained a doctoral degree in science by the end of the project. The University of Latvia and the cooperation partners comply with the requirements laid down in the Cabinet Regulation on the implementation of the measure in relation to the conditions of the project not related to economic activity, including the status of a research organisation. The main output of the project is the creation of research jobs in the supported entities. It is planned to attract at least 91 doctoral students within the framework of the project. The planned implementation time of the project is 56 months (from Q1 2025 to 31 October 2029) and its total investment cost is EUR 5 556 906.88. The ERDF co-financing is estimated at EUR 4 723 370.85 and the state budget grant is EUR 833 536.03. The project is planned to be implemented with the following cooperation partners: BA School of Business and Finance, APP "Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Centre, UL Institute of Solid State Physics and UL Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science. All partners will be allocated project funding according to the number of target groups involved.