Since the end of last year, the Latvian Academy of Culture (LKA) has been implementing a research project entitled 'New discoveries of hillforts in Latvia 2018–2021: cultural and historical significance', led by the academy's professor, archaeologist, Dr. hist., Dr. habil. art. Juris Urtāns. The project, part of the Fundamental and Applied Research Programme, will be implemented over one year and is funded by the Latvian Council of Science.

Since 2018, thanks to the public availability of LiDAR data, there has been an explosive discovery of hillforts which is continuing, particularly in the eastern part of Latvia. At present, at least 42 hillforts have been identified as new discoveries, which is many more than in the entire period since the Second World War combined. The number of discoveries is likely to increase further, as reports of potential, hitherto unknown hillforts in Latvia arrive almost every week from prehistory enthusiasts; these appear on LiDAR ground relief maps as suspicious surface alterations, resembling ancient fortifications. The currently updated list of newly discovered hillforts with coordinates is available on the Latvian Academy of Culture's website – all these indicated sites have been verified in the field and confirmed as hillforts, a task carried out over the last three years by archaeologist Juris Urtāns.