Record number of applicants for B-Space PINK programme

At the beginning of October, the Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) business incubator B-Space will launch its annual pre-incubation programme PINK. This year, a record number of 110 students and employees from several Latvian universities have applied. During the programme, they will learn how to generate business ideas and conduct market research, as well as learn the basics of entrepreneurship, develop ideas, and take the first steps towards starting their own business.

This year, for the first time, students from the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LBTU) and Daugavpils University (DU) have been invited to participate in the PINK programme. In total, 77% of the participants come from RSU, 11% from DU, and 6% from LBTU. Health (49%) is the most represented sector this time, followed by social sciences (33%). 13% of the participants study or work in STEM on a daily basis. B-Space application statistics show that women are more interested in taking their first steps in entrepreneurship (63%) and that women named Marija are the most active - a total of six women named Marija will start the PINK programme.

‘We are delighted and proud of this year's record-breaking interest.

One of the first steps in the programme is to create an interdisciplinary team. This will be particularly successful this year as three universities are represented and the participants' fields of study or activity range from healthcare to social sciences and STEM.

There is also an unexpectedly high level of interest from international students, which will allow the teams to generate ideas with a global reach. The diversity of interests and skills within a business team forms the basis for innovative and meaningful business ideas. We wish all PINK participants the best of luck and a lot of creativity,’ says Līga Žūka, Director of the RSU Innovation Centre.

Entrepreneurship and idea development classes

Alongside the PINK programme, the B-Space has prepared a wide range of classes on entrepreneurship and idea development which are open to anyone and will take place during the autumn and winter this year. These include a series of lectures led by technology expert Kristaps Skutelis, meetings with inspiring personalities, accounts of experience in B-Space's podcast Campfire Conversations (Ugunskura sarunas) and practical skills workshops. The next workshop will take place on 9 October and will focus on a hands-on exploration of 3D modelling.