The project aims at unlocking and boosting Latvian R&D potential for photonics at the University of Latvia (LU) with activitiescontributing to the realization of the full research potential on national scale for the enlarged Union and vision of InnovativeUnion 2020. Direct beneficiary of the project - the Association FOTONIKA-LV at LU having about 100 researchers: including4 Professors, 28 with PhD degrees, 7 skilled technicians, 34 PhD candidates and MSc level students. Enhancement ofresearch and outreach activities will covers basic and applied sciences of photonics domain: optics, optoelectronics; inatmosphere and space; Earth geodesy; laser ranging and remote sensing; atomic and molecular physics; laser spectroscopyand plasma light sources; bio-photonics and medical physics.Objectives tasks include: Development of 10 existing strategic partnerships with leading centres in Finland, Sweden,Lithuania, Germany, Spain; Exchanges of know-how through 50 secondments; Helping to reverse the “brain drain” in to a“brain-gain” by repatriating one Dr.Hab, four Dr.Phys and technician back in labs of FOTONIKA-LV; Boosting research with3 year recruitment Priv.-Doc.Dr. from Germany, Dr. from Russia, Dr. from Bulgaria. Dr from the Ukraine is coming for oneyear and 4 positions are left open for competitive recruitment; Participation in 24 conferences; Organisation of 3 large scaleconferences in photonics, and summer schools in Riga; Organization of 3 strategy technology foresight workshops on RTDpolicy in the photonics domain; Organization of 1 large scale conference on sustainable development, knowledge societyand future manufacturing; Upgrade of research infrastructure - targeted actions allowing to restore experimental capacity forvalue of 2-3 m€ - purchase of up to date equipment to keep leadership; Establishing a public-access Riga Photonics Centre,to support transfer of knowledge. Various instruments are foreseen to raise research driven activities of photonic's SMEs.