A strong scientific network between Germany and Latvia BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment and Latvian partner organisation renew cooperation agreement in Riga
What it's about:
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) has been cooperating for years with numerous international partner authorities in the field of consumer health protection – and is now also working more closely with the Scientific Institute for Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment (BIOR). From 21 to 22 October 2025, a delegation led by BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment President Professor Andreas Hensel visited Riga to further strengthen existing relations with the Latvian partner organisation.
Professor Hensel and BIOR Director Dr Olga Valcina signed a joint declaration of intent with the aim of establishing a scientific network, strengthening exchanges at the technical level and promoting scientific and technological cooperation between the two organisations.
During his visit to Latvia, Professor Hensel was also an honorary guest at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LBTU). There he gave a lecture on current trends and causes of foodborne disease outbreaks. The LBTU is one of the largest and leading scientific universities in Latvia.
The scientific network is primarily intended to strengthen the quality of risk assessment and the professional qualifications of experts from both organisations. An important step in this process is encouraging professional exchange. To support this, a platform will be created for sharing information between the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment and the BIOR. Another objective of the joint declaration of intent is to promote scientific and technological cooperation through future research and cooperation programmes. Thanks to such programmes, research results on topics of consumer protection and food safety are to be disseminated both within the scientific community and among the general public.