RSU signs cooperation agreement with Lithuanian University of Health Sciences

The Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) has signed a cooperation agreement with Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU). The agreement outlines a framework for exchanging best practices and how to cooperate in implementing innovations in science and studies. 

‘Working together with LSMU, we witness the power of cooperation. Together, we will find new ways to innovate in research and education, to promote discovery, and to develop globally competitive study programmes. 

Through this partnership, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to excellence and to advancing society,’ said RSU Rector Prof. Aigars Pētersons during the signing of the cooperation agreement at the LSMU Emmanuel Levinas Centre.

‘By joining efforts, our professional teams will raise their profile in Europe. We have a strong basis for cooperation thanks to our long-standing friendship with RSU that dates back to the Soviet era and manifests on many levels.

I am personally very familiar with RSU, so I am very pleased and proud that we are meeting in Kaunas to exchange best practices,’ said LSMU Rector Prof. Rimantas Benetis.

LSMU and RSU have maintained a relationship for many years. Each year, around 20 students, teachers, and other administrative staff go on exchanges to the other university for training. 

Additionally, the LSMU Vice Rector for Clinical Medicine Prof. Renaldas Jurkevičius is a member of the Pauls Stradiņš Clinical University Hospital Council, where he advises his Latvian peers on administrative management issues. During the meeting, he shared good practices and outlined the Kauno klinikos hospital’s affiliation with LSMU. 

During the meeting, the delegations from both universities also discussed possible cooperation in the fields of science and innovation. They discussed the possibility of developing joint Horizon Europe and EU4Health projects on precision medicine, molecular biology, chronic fatigue, occupational safety, environmental health, public health, sports science, and rehabilitation.

‘RSU Vice Rector for Science Agrita Kiopa is an expert at evaluating Horizon Europe projects and has extensive experience in working on projects of this scale. In addition, more than 50% of scientific publications from RSU fall within the first and second quartile.

Thus, their research activities have been developing really well, and we could find common points of contact and develop research areas that would be mutually beneficial and interesting for both parties,’ said Prof. Ingrida Janulevičienė, the Dean of the LSMU International Relations and Study Centre.

The guests from Latvia visited the LSMU Educational Laboratory Building and the Santaka Valley Centre for Advanced Pharmaceutical and Health Technologies where they were introduced to the University's researchers, toured the research infrastructure, and observed various processes. 

Another area of possible cooperation discussed was the improvement of the quality of studies. Discussions focused on study organisation processes, quality measures for academic work, approaches to artificial intelligence, OSKE examinations, and the feasibility of a joint digital medicine study programme.