Welcome to the web site of the VACTRAIN project. This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 692293.

The main goal of the VACTRAIN TWINNING project is to strengthen the biomedical research in Riga Stradins University (RSU) and enhance the research capacity of the staff, with the emphasis on the immunotherapy of cancer.

This goal will be achieved by linking these entities to the Institute of Microbiology, Tumor and Cellular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden (MTC/KI), and the Department of General Biophysics, Lodz University, Poland (DGB/LU) as centers of excellence in the field of biomedicine and biotechnology. Linking implies joint systematic pull-up efforts carried by two CORE institutions in the form of workshops, staff exchange and expert visits, experimental group and individual trainings, summer schools, conference attendance, reinforced by dissemination and outreach activities.

These efforts will create a task force of experienced and motivated researchers rooted at RSU and incorporating staff of KIEPOR, inspiring research environment and optimal environment for carrying top-class research in the demanding field of immunotherapy of cancer in both national and the EU level research projects. We foresee the task force to unite a group of up to 20 researchers of different levels from master students to professors, able to define promising research directions, set aims, shape the project, elaborate feasible project plan, distribute responsibilities, mobilize infrastructural and material resources, consequently fulfil project tasks and deliver the proposed results/research product(s) destined for cancer immunotherapy. By end of the proposed project, the task force will get integrated into the Pan-European cancer research field. It is expected to become a self-standing, sustainably developing and expanding entity attractive to talented researchers in Latvia, Ukraine and abroad, with strong potential for further progressive development on the level with the best international groups working in this field.

Take a look at our brochure for more detailed information about the Vactrain twinning project.