The competition opened on January 19, but by the time the application period closed on February 2, only two people had applied for the job. Their names have not been made public.
Applicants are due to be selected in three rounds. During the first round, the tender commission evaluated the submitted documents and the compliance of the tenderers with the minimum requirements. In the second round of the competition, applicants will explain their motivation to the position to the competition commission, answer the commission's questions and outline their strategic vision for the strengthening of LZP as an effective research institution in Latvia, its priorities and development. In the third round of the competition, the competencies of the applicants' management will be tested: strategic vision, changes in management, employee motivation and development, results orientation and development orientation.
There is now the prospect of a single candidate undergoing these final two rounds – unless the commission decides to reject the candidate and start again from scratch.
At the end of the competition, the candidate with the highest evaluation will be directed to the Cabinet of Ministers for appointment. Upon taking up the position, the next director of LZP will receive a monthly salary worth 2,264 euros (before taxes), plus a performance-related bonus system.
The Latvian Council of Science is an institution under the supervision of the Minister for Education and Science which aims to implement state science and technology development policy, ensure expertise, implementation and supervision of research programs and projects financed from the state budget, as well as from the European Union structural funds and other foreign financial instruments. Its stated motto is "Science for a better future".