LATRA

What LATRA does

LATRA (legal name: LATRA INNOVATION LAB) is a non-profit research and innovation organisation founded in 2012 and headquartered in Loutra, Mytilene, Lesvos, Greece, with a stated team of 11 employees supplemented by volunteers, interns, and researchers. The organisation operates a portfolio of EU-funded projects addressing refugee integration, arts-driven digital transformation, science education, climate, peacebuilding, and humanitarian product design; flagship initiatives include Artsformation (Horizon 2020), SySTEM2020, ArtApp (Creative Europe), Core Relief, PeaceBuilders, and Letters From The Front. Its technical surface is conventional and applied rather than commercial: 3D-printed open-source humanitarian products (Core Relief), a digital loyalty platform connecting arts organisations with businesses (ArtApp), online science fiction and speculative-design workshops, and academic mapping studies published through Artsformation in collaboration with European Business School and Trinity College Dublin.

LATRA's business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Revenue derives from EU research and innovation programmes (Horizon 2020, Erasmus+, Creative Europe), civic society funders (Civic Europe, European Cultural Foundation, Open Society Foundations via University of York's Centre for Applied Human Rights, Stiftung Mercator), and public donations (with a stated 0% overhead policy on the #REFUGEELIVESMATTER campaign). The organisation operates as a consortium partner on most flagship projects, delivering work packages within multi-country consortia that include Norwegian Business School, Trinity College Dublin, Ars Electronica, Ecsite, Science Gallery Dublin, WAAG, and European Alternatives. Distribution of outputs occurs through open-source channels (Core Relief designs), EU consortium networks, conference circuits (ECSCITE, Transmediale, European Lab, La Biennale di Venezia), and academic publications, rather than commercial sales.

LATRA serves multiple beneficiary segments: refugee and migrant communities in Lesvos (humanitarian aid, peacebuilding, integration), European research and innovation stakeholders (digital transformation, arts engagement, social inclusion), K-12 and informal science learning audiences across 19 EU countries, civil society organisations confronting shrinking democratic space, and the arts/cultural sector seeking post-COVID recovery. The organisation holds 10 documented awards including the Distributed Design Award (2020), Council of Europe Award (2018), and UN-Habitat Award (2008), and has received endorsements from the European Parliament, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Greece, City of Athens, and GFOSS/Open Technologies Alliance. Director Aris Papadopoulos leads the organisation.

Name

LATRA

Legal name

LATRA INNOVATION LAB

Website

https://latra.gr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

LATRA Innovation Lab is a Greek non-profit research and innovation organisation that operates EU-funded projects at the intersection of arts, technology, and social impact, serving refugee communities, educators, civil society organisations, and cultural institutions across 13+ European and partner countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Innovation Research

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) (BPAGABAO)

Keywords

• Social innovation research
• Humanitarian aid design
• EU research projects
• STEAM education programs
• Civic engagement initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Loutra, Mytilene

HQ country

Greece

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. EU Research and Innovation Grants: LATRA operates primarily as a grant-funded research organization, securing funding from EU programmes including Horizon 2020 (Artsformation, SySTEM2020), Erasmus+ (Creative Collisions), Creative Europe (ArtApp), and others. These grants fund large-scale collaborative research and innovation projects across Europe.
2. Public Donations: LATRA solicits public donations for humanitarian response efforts, particularly the #REFUGEELIVESMATTER campaign for purchasing and distributing essential products (water, medicine, baby formula, facemasks, menstrual health products) to refugees in Lesvos. The organization commits to 100% of donations going to product purchasing with 0% overhead.
3. Civic Society Funding: Funding from civic society organizations including Civic Europe (incubator for civic initiatives), European Cultural Foundation, Open Society Foundations (via Centre for Applied Human Rights at University of York), and others for peacebuilding and community resilience projects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

LATRA is a non-profit research and innovation organization operating out of Lesvos, Greece, addressing social, political, economic, and cultural challenges through EU-funded collaborative projects. The organization delivers research programs (ArtsFormation, SySTEM2020), open-source humanitarian products (Core Relief), digital platforms (ArtApp), peacebuilding programs (PeaceBuilders), and storytelling initiatives (Letters From The Front), executed in partnership with 50+ European organizations.

Product overview

LATRA is a social innovation organization operating from Lesvos, Greece, that focuses on research and innovation addressing European societal challenges. Rather than a unified software platform, LATRA operates a portfolio of distinct social-impact projects: ArtsFormation (a Horizon 2020 research initiative on arts and digital transformation), SySTEM2020 (science education mapping across 19 EU countries), ArtApp (a digital platform connecting arts with businesses), Core Relief (3D-printed humanitarian products made by refugees), PeaceBuilders (peacebuilding program for refugee and local youth), and Letters From The Front (storytelling initiative). These projects are funded by EU programs and implemented through international partnerships with organizations like Science Gallery Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, and Copenhagen Business School.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ArtsFormation

Quantifiable outcome

• Core Relief open-source designs can benefit 65 million displaced people worldwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Fondazione Università Ca' Foscari VeneziacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Coordinator of Creative Collisions project, Science Gallery Venice. Leads Erasmus+ funded project on non-formal science education and arts.
• Materahub Industrie Culturali e CreativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Italian partner in Creative Collisions, contributing creative industries expertise.
• Youth Bridges BudapestcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Hungarian partner in Creative Collisions focused on youth engagement.
• CATCHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Danish organization collaborating on Digital Alchemy workshop series, including science fiction workshops and hackathons.
• Norwegian Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2020Coordinator of the Artsformation Horizon 2020 project. Leads the research consortium exploring the social potential of arts in digital transformations.
• Copenhagen Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2020Research partner in Artsformation, contributing expertise in arts, enterprise, and digital transformation studies.
• Trinity College DublincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2020Research partner in Artsformation and coordinator of SySTEM2020. Contributes to mapping studies and research on arts integration in digital society.
• KEA European AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2020European affairs and policy expertise partner in Artsformation consortium.
• WAAG (Waag Society)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2020Dutch organization contributing technology and society expertise to Artsformation. Also partner in SySTEM2020.
• FACT (UK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2020UK-based arts organization collaborating on Framework for Resilience podcast series and online conversations within Artsformation.
• Transmediale (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2020German digital culture festival hosting Artsformation exhibition and events in Berlin.
• European AlternativescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2020Civil society organization contributing to Artsformation research on arts and digital transformation across Europe.
• SzimplacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Coordinator of ArtApp project, based in Hungary. Leading the digital platform connecting businesses with arts organizations.
• Matera HubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Italian cultural and creative industries organization, partner in ArtApp.
• SpotlightcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Croatian partner in ArtApp project.
• ILIAKTIDAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Lesvos-based NGO partner in PeaceBuilders project for peacebuilding and civic resilience programming.
• Science Gallery DublincoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Coordinator of SySTEM2020 project. Leads mapping of science learning across 19 EU countries.
• Ars ElectronicacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Austrian partner in SySTEM2020, contributing expertise in art and technology.
• EcsitecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018European network of science centers and museums partner in SySTEM2020.
• Aalto UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Finnish university partner in SySTEM2020 research on informal science learning.
• Centre for Social Innovation (AT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Austrian partner contributing to SySTEM2020 social innovation research.
• Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da VincicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Italian science museum partner in SySTEM2020.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ars Electronica: A larger Austrian institution operating at the intersection of art, technology, and society. Ars Electronica is a SySTEM2020 partner of LATRA and shares the arts + tech + inclusion thematic focus at significantly larger institutional scale.
• European Cultural Foundation: A larger, established pan-European cultural foundation that funds cultural and arts programming across Europe. ECF is a direct funder of LATRA (Letters From The Front) and operates in the same cultural-inclusion thematic space at materially greater scale and budget.

Direct peers

• Kennisland: A Dutch social innovation research organization working on EU-funded programs at the intersection of education, technology, and inclusion. Kennisland shares LATRA's profile as a small, grant-funded research entity with EU project consortium experience.
• Science Gallery International: A global network for science engagement, anchored by Science Gallery Dublin (LATRA's SySTEM2020 partner). SGI operates comparable STEAM engagement and science-learning programs with EU grant funding.
• Open Knowledge Foundation: A global open-source and open-data research organization. Like LATRA's Core Relief, OKF champions open-source/open-data approaches to social impact and operates with comparable EU grant funding structures.
• Tactical Tech: A German-based, globally operating research and advocacy organization examining the social implications of technology. Tactical Tech shares LATRA's small-team, EU-funded, research-and-advocacy profile and its focus on civic resilience through technology.
• Impact Hub: A global network of social innovation hubs that operate education, research, and program-delivery functions across multiple geographies. Impact Hub mirrors LATRA's hybrid research/program-delivery model and EU social-innovation positioning.
• WAAG Society: A Dutch research organization at the intersection of technology, arts, and society. WAAG is a core Artsformation and SySTEM2020 partner of LATRA, operating comparable open-tech-for-social-innovation programming with EU funding.
• MitOst e.V. A European civic initiatives incubator that supports cross-border cultural and civic projects. MitOst operates similarly-sized civic programming with comparable EU grant pipelines and was LATRA's funding conduit for the Civic Europe Idea Challenge grant.
• European Alternatives: A pan-European civil society organization promoting democratic citizenship, cultural exchange, and civic engagement. It is a direct Artsformation consortium partner of LATRA with overlapping mission, funding mix, and pan-EU network structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/grlatra
• Facebookfacebook.com/LATRALESVOS
• Instagraminstagram.com/latra.gr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/latralab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LATRA