Visiting Riga Technical University (RTU) Science and Innovation Centre and meeting with the Rector Tālis Juhna and the Vice-Rector for Innovations Liene Briede, the delegation from Kobe, Japan, led by the Vice-Mayor Kazunori Ohara, learned about RTU's experience in building a strong innovation ecosystem.
«RTU contributes about 2% of GDP to the Latvian economy. We are a dynamic and open university that cooperates with both companies and local governments, ensuring the full cycle from science to technology transfer, so we can say that we are a partner for growth,» said RTU Rector Tālis Juhna when meeting with the Japanese guests.
The Rector presents RTU's experience in developing young talents from kindergarten age and the policy of involving students in various projects at an early age, providing them with skills that will later be in demand in the labour market. He also highlights cooperation with local and international companies in innovation development and research, various initiatives and support activities to strengthen the innovation exosystem, and talks about RTU's latest scientific excellence initiatives with high added value for the economy and society - the microchip testing centre, the hydrogen excellence centre, the Ķīpsala digital twin and the Baltic Centre for Innovative Particle Therapy, where research will be conducted on how to treat oncological diseases that have so far been difficult to cure using innovative methods.
Confirming the importance of research and innovation for the development of the national economy, Vice-Rector for Innovation L. Briede introduces the guests to the vision of making Ķīpsala an innovation island, where science and industry meet, as well as various future technologies are developed and tested. «Kipsala could test water and urban technologies, as well as various solutions relevant to society,» she says.
The Japanese guests also got to know the RTU Science and Innovation Centre's infrastructure and cooperation with students, researchers and industry, and met with Mārtiņš Rubenis, Head of the RTU Sports Technology Centre and Head of the Innovative Product Development Department, to learn not only about RTU's cooperation with students and companies in developing new products and solutions, but also about sports innovation and his participation in the Nagano Olympics in Japan, which was his first Olympic competition.
A delegation from Kobe is visiting Latvia to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the partnership between Kobe and Riga.
