RSU and the Ministry of Defence discuss cooperation

On 6 June Prof. Aigars Pētersons, Rector of Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU), and Ainārs Stepens, the Head of the Military Medicine Research and Study Centre, had a meeting with Artis Pabriks, the Minister of Defence, to discuss further cooperation in research.

Representatives from other institutions of higher education and industries also participated in the joint meeting, among them Prof. Leonīds Ribickis, the Rector of Riga Technical University, Prof. Valdis Segliņš, the Vice-Rector of the University of Latvia and Elīna Egle-Ločmele, the Chair of the Board of the Federation of Security and Defence Industries of Latvia.

During the meeting the Minister of Defence mentioned several prospective areas for further cooperation. These included attracting researchers to the defence industry by implementing a grant programme, strengthening the scope of practical research at the Centre for Security and Strategic Research of the National Defence Academy of Latvia, and attracting researchers to international NATO and EU research projects in disciplines essential for the development of the Latvian defence sector.

To develop joint innovation solutions the Ministry of Defence is currently cooperating with several Latvian research institutions. An agreement with the Latvian Academy of Sciences anticipates cooperation in conducting expert reports on scientific research, while the agreements concluded with RSU, Riga Technical University, the University of Latvia and Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies establish cooperation in education, science and technologies.

The field of defence is integrated into the field of science, research, technological development and innovations to strengthen Latvia’s defence capabilities by using modern technologies and innovative solutions.