Riga City Council, Riga Technical University (RTU), University of Latvia (UL) and Riga Stradins University (RSU) signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to jointly develop the «Knowledge Mile» area, attract both Latvian and foreign students and promote Riga as a European city of innovation and knowledge.
The centre of Riga and Pardaugava are becoming a unique student hub, forming a single «Knowledge Mile», as the largest Latvian universities - LU, RSU, RTU - are located in close proximity to each other and are already strategically connected geographically. This is an excellent prerequisite for the development of science, urban environment and entrepreneurship in this area, therefore Riga City Council together with the universities, by signing the Memorandum, agree to work purposefully to promote Riga as a centre of innovation and knowledge not only in the Baltic States and Northern Europe, but also on a global scale.
Vilnis Ķirsis, Riga City Council Chairman says: «Every city must be able to define its own economic identity and with this agreement on in-depth long-term cooperation with Latvian universities, Riga is making knowledge its identity mark. We are a city that wants to make money from knowledge, to create solutions and products that are competitive in Riga and Latvia, as well as in Europe and the world, that create and will create added value, make cities and countries wealthier, and make life more comfortable and prosperous for our people. I hope that over time other Latvian centres of knowledge and excellence, such as the National Library of Latvia, will join the Memorandum, because results can be achieved by many working towards one goal.»
RTU Rector Tālis Juhna points out that «The Knowledge Mile is primarily a study and research space for three strong universities to work together, complementing each other, creating new knowledge, ideas and innovations and thus helping Riga and Latvia to develop. But equally important is the space in which knowledge is created. RTU fits into the Knowledge Mile with its vision - to become an island of innovation that is constantly changing and evolving, and to realise this, the support and purposeful cooperation of the Riga City Council is crucial, both in the local planning of the RTU Ķīpsala complex, and in the closer cooperation of Riga City Council capital companies with researchers in developing new technologies and solutions for the city, and in developing interest and understanding of STEM among Riga's children.»
«The «Knowledge Mile» connects not only our three universities in Pārdaugava. It is a route for all the people of Latvia and Riga, as it connects our capital's historical heritage with our vision for the future. Riga is a living laboratory where future developments are experimented and tested, developing modern higher education and the city as one of the most advanced study environments. Together, we, the three science universities, and our great strategic partner, the City of Riga, must create a convenient, safe and innovative knowledge route with the capacity to tackle challenges much bigger than this one mile. Children and young people are our future, so the next step should be to integrate the city's schools into this knowledge mile. It is our duty to make science accessible to children, young people, and the citizens of Riga and Latvia, said Gundars Bērziņš, Rector of the University of Latvia, at the signing ceremony.
RSU Rector Aigars Pētersons: «Through mutual cooperation between Riga City Council and science universities, we can fully and modernly develop international knowledge, excellent research, innovation, technology transfer to industry and support for competitive entrepreneurship. One of the most important contributions of Riga Stradins University to the capital is its more than 3000 international students, mostly young people from the most economically developed countries of the European Union. We call on Riga City Council to continue the successful development of the city's infrastructure in recent years, including in the Knowledge Mile. It would be important to improve cycling and pedestrian routes, modernise public transport stops and carry out other environmental improvement projects. These are important for our students, academics and researchers from Latvia and abroad.»
One of the priority areas of the Memorandum of Cooperation is attracting Latvian and foreign students. Special attention will also be paid to research and innovation to increase the capacity and competitiveness of educational institutions, while scientists, young talent and technology will help Riga find the most effective solutions to non-standard situations. So far, Riga has been working with universities to develop the city's digital twin, in architecture and urban planning, road maintenance, and the fruits of this work can be appreciated by every citizen of Riga.
In order to carry out such research and pilot projects, which are important and a priority for the city, scientists will have access to both the necessary infrastructure and laboratories. The municipality will provide a «green corridor» for these projects and will support and foster cooperation with the start-up ecosystem.
To increase the competitiveness of young professionals, it is important that universities are informed well in advance about the priority employment sectors identified by the municipality, and the municipality promotes student employment by attracting investment and international companies to the city that need a highly educated workforce.
Quality practical training is equally important, which is why Riga, as the largest employer in the city, is committed to providing university students with internships at its institutions, as well as supporting activities to promote new discoveries and innovations in areas of relevance to the city.
A comfortable, safe, sustainable and accessible public transport and micro-mobility infrastructure is also essential. It is important that students have easy access to universities from their neighbourhoods and from regional and international transport hubs, as well as seamless movement between educational institutions. The Parties also undertake to encourage students to stay in the public open spaces by developing urban parks, squares, waterfronts. To this end, the municipality is already building new infrastructure, such as the pedestrian and cycle bridge over the Kīleveina ditch, the Mūkusalas street promenade, a bridge over the Zunda Canal, which was opened last year, and the construction of new cycle paths. Universities are also ambitiously introducing new technologies and developing academic centres.
The universities and the Riga City Council will meet regularly to discuss and assess the effectiveness of the work done and progress towards the objectives.
