Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (ISSP UL)

What Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (ISSP UL) does

The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (ISSP UL / LU CFI) is a public research institute and operational unit of the University of Latvia, headquartered at Ķengaraga iela 8, Riga, founded in 1978 and operating with 251-500 staff. The institute conducts fundamental and applied research in materials science, solid-state physics, photonics, microelectronics, energy materials, and nanotechnology, and serves as a regional core facility for the Baltic and Nordic research communities. Its core product surface is structured around services rather than commercial goods: a Nanotechnology Center, Microfluidics Pilot Line, cleanroom infrastructure (ISO Class 7-8, 650m2), materials synthesis and characterization labs, computational resources, and an internal Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). Specialized instrumentation includes the only SEM Helios 5 UX in the Baltic Sea region, pulsed laser deposition systems, ODMR, EPR, XPS, photoluminescence, and spectroscopic ellipsometry systems, supporting applications in thin-film deposition, luminescence analysis, radiation-defect studies, and biosensing using 2D-material FET arrays.

ISSP UL monetizes primarily through competitive research grants and project-based funding rather than fee-for-service revenue, with disclosed budgets on individual projects ranging from EUR 333K (optical gas sensor, two phases) to EUR 14.9M (CAMART2 core) and broader consortium budgets reaching into the hundreds of millions (e.g., EUROfusion's EUR 678.8M from EURATOM plus EUR 555.3M from member states). Customer-facing services are quoted on inquiry and include microscopy, spectroscopy, materials synthesis, and characterization services for external academic and industrial users. The institute serves four primary segments: academic and research institutions, technology industry partners (electronics, semiconductor, photonics, materials), the broader European research community via Horizon 2020 / EraNet / EUROfusion consortia, and students/educational institutions. Commercialization occurs through structured technology transfer channels — notably the CAMART2 innovation ecosystem with KTH and RISE Sweden, the BioPhoT biophotonics platform, and the AP4PIC spin-off for photonic integrated circuit assembly and packaging — alongside a stream of filed patents covering optical sensors, holographic materials, SERS-based viral detection, and hydrogen processing.

Name

Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (ISSP UL)

Legal name

Latvijas Universitātes Cietvielu fizikas institūts

Website

https://cfi.lu.lv

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (ISSP UL) is a public research institute in Riga providing advanced materials science, photonics, microelectronics, and nanotechnology research services through specialized laboratories, cleanroom infrastructure, and international grant-funded projects to academic, industrial, and European research partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Materials Science Research Services

NAICS

Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (3344)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Assembly & Packaging Services (Wirebond/Flip-Chip/FCBGA) (HDAHADAA)

Keywords

• Materials science research
• Nanotechnology fabrication services
• Materials characterization services
• Photonics microelectronics research
• Solid state physics laboratory

Headquarters

HQ city

Riga

HQ country

Latvia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ISSP UL is a university research institute that operates ISO Class 7-8 cleanroom (650m2) and advanced laboratory facilities for materials science, solid-state physics, and nanotechnology research. It sells fee-based research services including spectroscopy (EPR, ODMR, photoluminescence, XPS, ellipsometry), electron microscopy (SEM Helios 5 UX), materials synthesis, thin film deposition (PLD), materials characterization, microfluidic prototyping, and high-performance computational resources to academic and industry clients.

Product overview

Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (ISSP UL) is a research institution that provides access to specialized laboratory facilities and equipment rather than commercial products. The core offering consists of fee-based research services including: Nanotechnology Center, Spectroscopy Methods and Lasers, Microscopy Services (SEM), Materials Synthesis and Treatment, Materials Characterization (XRD, XPS, thermal analysis), Computational Resources, Chemical Laboratories, and Microfluidics Pilot Line. Supporting platforms include the LIMS internal management system, BioPhoT commercialization platform (with Phipic project), and the AP4PIC spin-off company for photonic integrated circuits. The institute also organizes educational and outreach programs including the Solar Cup competition, Deep Science Hackathon, and Researchers' Night events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nanotechnology Center Services Specialized nanotechnology services and equipment access for materials science research, fabrication, and characterization for academic and industry clients.
• Spectroscopy Methods and Lasers Access to advanced spectroscopic equipment and laser systems including EPR, ODMR, photoluminescence, XPS, and ellipsometry for materials characterization and analysis.
• Microscopy Services Electron and scanning microscopy services including SEM Helios 5 UX, offering high-resolution imaging and chemical microanalysis for structural details, nanoparticle distribution, and morphology analysis.
• Materials Synthesis and Treatment Laboratory facilities for synthesizing and treating materials including thin film deposition, pulsed laser deposition (PLD), and chemical processing for external academic and industry clients.
• Materials Characterization Comprehensive analytical services for material analysis including X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermal analysis, and surface characterization.
• Microfluidics Pilot Line Pilot-scale microfluidic device manufacturing capabilities for organ-on-chip and biomedical technology development and prototyping for academic and industry clients.
• Chemical Laboratories and Equipment Services Fully equipped chemistry laboratories for sample preparation, synthesis, and chemical analysis accessible to external academic and industry researchers.
• Computational Resources Service High-performance computing facilities for theoretical modeling and simulation of functional materials and devices, available to external academic and industry users.

Quantifiable outcome

• TRL progression from 2 to 5 achieved in optical temperature sensor development (OPTSEN project)
• +5 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature11 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• University of TartumajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2026Co-organizer of FM&NT 2026 International Conference on Functional Materials & Nanotechnologies alongside Vilnius University, University of Latvia, and ISSP UL.
• Vilnius UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2026Co-organizer of FM&NT 2026 International Conference on Functional Materials & Nanotechnologies in Riga.
• Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), SwedencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2017CAMART2 Horizon 2020 Teaming project partnership. KTH serves as the primary advisor for transforming ISSP UL into a center of excellence in materials science research and technology transfer. Long-term partnership from 2017-2025 to establish world-class research infrastructure.
• RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2017CAMART2 Horizon 2020 Teaming project partnership. RISE provides expertise in innovation and technology transfer alongside KTH to establish the institute as a Baltic Sea region center of excellence.
• Lithuanian Energy InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in AliCE-WHy project (EEA and Norway Grants) focusing on waste aluminum treatment methodology for hydrogen production.
• University of IcelandmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in AliCE-WHy project conducting techno-economic and environmental impact evaluation for Iceland and Baltic States.
• IceTec (Iceland Technology Center)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in AliCE-WHy project addressing recycling possibilities of produced reaction by-products from aluminum waste processing.
• Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), LithuaniamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in BTSC project for semi-transparent bifacial thin-film solar cells development, responsible for organic and inorganic hole conductor materials synthesis.
• Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), EstoniamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in BTSC project responsible for thin film deposition and solar cell fabrication.
• Institute for Energy Technology (IFE), NorwaymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in BTSC project implementing material modelling, defect chemistry by first-principles calculations, and solar cell device modelling.
• Jožef Stefan Institute, SloveniamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject coordinator for SunToChem EraNet project on perovskite photocatalysts for sunlight-driven hydrogen evolution.
• National Taiwan University, TaiwanmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in SunToChem EraNet project responsible for reactor design for photocatalytic processes.
• National Sun Yay-Sen University, TaiwanmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject coordinator for ZMOMUVS EraNet project on ZnMgO materials for solar-blind UV sensors, responsible for crystal substrate growth and epitaxial film growth.
• National Tsing-Hua University, TaiwanmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject coordinator for Eco-OLED EraNet project developing high-efficiency OLED lighting sources.
• Riga Technical University (RTU), LatviamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Eco-OLED project handling synthesis of second-generation organic light-emitting molecules.
• Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), LithuaniamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Eco-OLED project handling synthesis of third-generation organic light-emitting molecules.
• Light Guide Optics International (LGOI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in OPTSEN project developing optical temperature sensor model with light signals transmitted through optical fibers manufactured by LGOI.
• Ceram OptecminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial partner in SERS-based viral protein detection project (ERDF), providing optical fiber and medical products manufacturing expertise.
• SIA Latvijas graudsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject partner in soil carbon concentration technology development, providing real-field testing conditions in agriculture.
• AP4PICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpin-off company from ISSP UL developing photonic integrated circuit (PIC) assembly and packaging solutions. Represents commercialization of institute's photonics research.
• Taiwan Semiconductor Industry PartnersmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborations with Taiwan's semiconductor ecosystem providing access to advanced manufacturing knowledge and capabilities for photonic integrated circuit development.
• EUROfusion Consortium (29 EU countries + UK, Switzerland, Ukraine)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean fusion research consortium developing fusion as viable energy source by 2050. ISSP UL studies stability of materials under radiation and magnetic field influence for fusion reactor applications.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• imec: World-leading semiconductor and nanoelectronics R&D center headquartered in Belgium. Both imec and ISSP UL operate advanced cleanroom infrastructure and provide fee-based R&D services to industrial clients in microelectronics and photonics, though imec operates at vastly greater scale and is a major competitor for EU-funded programs.
• Fraunhofer Society: Germany's leading applied research organization with 75+ institutes covering materials science, photonics, microelectronics, and semiconductor manufacturing. Fraunhofer institutes (e.g., IZM, HHI, IISB) compete for the same industrial R&D contracts and EU grants that ISSP UL targets, but at substantially greater scale.
• CEA-Leti: French government-funded microelectronics and nanotechnology research institute. Comparable business model of operating cleanroom pilot lines and providing R&D services to semiconductor/photonics industry, but with a much larger industrial client base and equipment footprint.

Direct peers

• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Nordic state-owned RTO offering applied research services in materials, photonics, microelectronics, and energy. Closely comparable to ISSP UL in mission, funding structure (public + competitive grants), and service-based delivery to industry, with a similar focus on bridging fundamental research and industrial application.
• RISE Research Institutes of Sweden: Swedish state-owned research institute and explicit CAMART2 partner. RISE provides multi-disciplinary R&D services across materials, electronics, and energy, sharing ISSP UL's public-mission model, fee-for-service lab access, and role as a national innovation intermediary.
• CSEM (Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology): Swiss applied research center specializing in microelectronics, photonics, and nanomaterials. Shares ISSP UL's model of bridging academic research with industrial commercialization, operating shared cleanroom facilities and serving clients across semiconductors, medtech, and energy.
• Tyndall National Institute: Ireland's national research institute for photonics, microelectronics, and nanotechnology. Operates an advanced cleanroom and offers similar fee-based characterization, prototyping, and R&D services to industry and academia across European programs.

Others

• KTH Royal Institute of Technology: Sweden's leading technical university and explicit CAMART2 Phase 1 advisor. While primarily an academic institution, KTH's materials and photonics research groups are direct collaborators and co-developers with ISSP UL, and they compete for overlapping EU research funding.

Regional players

• Riga Technical University: Latvia's other major technical university, collaborating with ISSP UL on Eco-OLED and other materials projects. Operates adjacent photonics, electronics, and materials research labs serving overlapping regional academic and industrial customers.
• Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech): Estonia's leading technical university and a CAMART2-era Baltic research partner. Operates thin-film deposition and solar cell fabrication capabilities similar to ISSP UL's BTSC project work, serving the same regional industrial ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/issp

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (ISSP UL)