Corporate Social Responsibility

Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) is a socially responsible higher education institution that cares about the well-being of its students and employees. For a detailed list of all support measures and benefits available to staff and students see below.

Benefits and wellbeing at RSU

For employees

Remuneration is set according to the A+B+C+D principle:

Salary

Performance-based compensation

One-off, results-based payments

Benefits, insurance policies, cash prizes, additional leave

Health

Health insurance after 6 months of employment,
RSU is constantly developing and improving the work environment to ensure the most healthy, ergonomic, and sustainable working conditions possible,
Partial reimbursement for the purchase of medical optical aids for vision correction (like glasses or contact lenses),
Counselling at the RSU Clinic of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy and the RSU Career Centre in cooperation with the Psychology Laboratory.

Social support

Free use of the RSU crèche Namiņš (16 Dzirciema iela),
Bereavement allowance:
- for loss of a relative,
- for staff member’s relatives in case of death,
Leave allowance after ten years of employment (up to 25% of salary),
20% discount on tuition fees for children of RSU employees,
Free parking in parking lots near RSU buildings,
Flexible working hours and remote work opportunities.

Training and development

Systematic plans for employee growth and development based on the quality, quantity, and competence of work performance,
Training outside the RSU structural unit within the budget,
English language courses,
Classes offered by the RSU Centre for Educational Growth, the Department of Information Technology, the Medical Education Technology Centre, the Career Centre and the Human Resources Department,
20% discount on tuition fees for courses at the Open University,
Up to 100% discount for professional development at the Open University (if the skills are relevant for the employee’s work),
Use of materials available in the RSU Library’s collection and other library services free of charge,
Opportunity to participate in Erasmus+ exchange programmes to gain academic or administrative experience,
Opportunity for academic staff to participate in 6-month-long IT Excellence Programme for developing digital skills for at the University at Buffalo (USA),
RSU grants the status of Emeritus Professor and Emeritus Scientist and remuneration in recognition of those employees who have devoted their lives to advancing studies and research at RSU.

Community, culture, and sports

Regular academic and team-building events:
- annual Academic Ball, Academic Meeting,
- Christmas, Midsummer, Proclamation Day of the Republic of Latvia,
- annual autumn excursion, live and online concerts, photo competitions etc.
Use of the RSU Sports Club, participation in the University’s marathon team, Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry games, and student sports are free of charge,
The RSU Recreation and Sports Centre "Taurene" is available for team-building activities,
Group excursions at the RSU Anatomy Museum free of charge,
Team-building events for RSU structural units,
Free parking on RSU territory.

Holidays

Leave, supplementary leave, and paid holidays are granted in accordance with the National Labour Law and other external regulatory enactments,
RSU grants paid supplementary leave for seniority, paid holidays on employees' birthdays, and an extra paid holiday in case of loss of a relative in addition to the two paid holidays in the Labour Law,
RSU grants paid study leave if the studies are relevant to the employee’s work duties,
The work day prior to a holiday is reduced by 2 hours.

For students

Tuition fee discounts

RSU takes care of its students by offering the following tuition fee discounts:

For academic excellence,
For RSU graduates,
For sports excellence,
For family members,
As social support.

Scholarships

10 monthly scholarships for members of RSU’s performing arts groups (the mixed choir Rīga and the folk-dance group Ačkups),
The Boris and Inara Teterev Foundation scholarship,
Several scholarships are offered in cooperation with patrons’ foundations:
- The Vītols Fund Scholarship,
- The Egils Gulbis Medical Social Scholarship,
- The Euroaptieka Pharmacy Scholarship,
- The Rochus and Beatrice Mummert Foundation Scholarship,
The opportunity to participate in Erasmus + exchange programmes,
One-time scholarships (once a semester) for health expenses that meet certain criteria.

Counselling and health care

The following services are provided by the RSU Career Centre, the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, as well as the Department of Psychiatry and Narcology:

The RSU Health Centre is available to students (vaccinations, GP services, etc.),
Students can apply for a private consultations about their studies through Student Services,
Counselling and therapy for individuals or groups.

Career support

Opportunity to use all RSU Career Centre services free of charge:

Individual career consultations in Latvian or English,
Coaching sessions,
Group career consultation / classes,
Counselling / therapy sessions for individuals or groups,
Access to the Career Centre library,
Career development, and team-building exercises,
Services provided by Health Psychology and Supervision master’s students (as part of their study placements),
Use of the Introduction to Studies course materials on starting to study at RSU and the use of other internal resources,
Opportunity to participate in seminars, career support events,
Opportunity to use Career Centre materials on goals, study habits, self-education, self-development, etc.,
Opportunity to use the karjera.rsu.lv career platform to access information about placements and job opportunities available to RSU students.

Accessibility

The university is adapted to be accessible for staff and students with various physical disabilities (e.g. the study environment, including individual classrooms).

Digital opportunities

Convenient and modernised digital services for submitting documents,
The latest software for learning free of charge,
WiFi in all RSU buildings.

Sports and recreation

In recent years, RSU has invested increasingly more resources to support student sports. In the coming years, resources for sports activities will account to over 1% of RSU's operating expenses. In 2022, this amount will exceed 700 thousand EUR.

RSU has always supported a healthy and active lifestyle. There are currently about 117 athletes who play in national teams at the RSU Sports Club. These athletes can apply for dual career opportunities and use of sports facilities. Broader support for sports is the logical step forward.
Events organised by the RSU Student Union and the RSU International Student Association (Christmas balls, Halloween balls, Valentine's day balls, etc.),
Use of the RSU Sports Club free of charge,
Access to the RSU Recreation and Sports Centre "Taurene" that organises various events for students at the beginning and at the end of the academic year.

Additional benefits

Students have access to the RSU crèche, Namiņš (at 16 Dzirciema iela),
Free parking on RSU territory,
Free visits to the RSU Anatomy Museum.

The environment and the University’s historic heritage

RSU ensures that certain prerequisites for accessibility and universal design are met when planning and implementing construction plans for buildings and areas,
Sustainable procurement principles are increasingly being applied to infrastructure procurement,
When constructing or reconstructing parts of a building or premises, they are comprehensively equipped with ventilation and cooling systems. In order to reduce energy consumption, the control of microclimate equipment is automated and centralised,
New buildings will meet Class A energy efficiency standards that provide various types of heat retention solutions (such as air exchange recovery and heat recovery from wastewater),
RSU currently has a fleet of 21 cars at its disposal, three of which are electric cars (as of 2014). 12 cars were replaced in 2022 with the aim to reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption (eight cars with low CO2 emissions and four electric cars for long-term lease),
RSU supports the preservation of Latvia's architectural heritage for future generations. This includes reinforcing the ceramic relief from 1971 that adorns the façade of the RSU Institute of Stomatology at 20 Dzirciema iela that has been recognised as a monument of regional importance,
RSU also invests in renovating and modernising other architecturally valuable complexes (for example, the historical Anatomical Theatre complex that now houses the RSU Anatomy Museum, one of the most modern museums in Northern Europe, on its territory).