On 27 November President Edgars Rinkēvičs visited Riga Technical University (RTU) in Ķīpsala, where he met with the management of the university, got acquainted with the research work and met with RTU students.
During the meeting, the President of Latvia expressed his satisfaction that RTU had taken important decisions in the improvement of the study and scientific process in order to promote excellence in these areas. E. Rinkēvičs appreciated the progress achieved and the University's commitment to creating an innovation ecosystem that would lead to practical cooperation between academia and business. As a successful example, RTU management and academic staff are working on the establishment of the Hydrogen Centre of Excellence, the Microchip Testing Centre and the Heavy Ion Therapy Centre within the CERN Baltic Group.
President Rinkēvičs stressed the need to work on the development of a national investment plan and more targeted investments in areas of strategic importance for Latvia, especially in the development of science. ‘It is necessary to significantly increase funding in higher education and science already now, by actively investing both state budget resources and funding available to Latvia from European Union funds. Such investment would ensure that research processes and thus knowledge develop and remain in Latvia. These are the skills that will help more and more products created at university to be successfully commercialised and the results of applied research to be patented and used further, for example in start-ups here in Latvia. It would also be an opportunity to offer niche products created in Latvia internationally, strengthening Latvia's role in global supply chains,’ said the President of Latvia at the end of his visit.
Promoting excellence in science and higher education in Latvia is one of the priorities of the President of Latvia. It is also one of the main objectives of the work of the National Competitiveness Commission established by President Rinkēvičs.
