Government decides on finalisation of RSU and LASE consolidation by 1 July

On 2 April, the Cabinet of Ministers approved amendments to the Decree on Reorganisation of the Latvian Academy of Sport Education, which provides for the consolidation of Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) and the Latvian Academy of Sport Education (LASE) as of 1 July this year.

The initial deadline of 1 January 2026 was changed to facilitate the absorption of the European Union Recovery and Resilience Mechanism grants. Completing the reorganisation by 1 July will allow for the funding to be absorbed sequentially. The reorganisation process will involve several activities: a reorganisation plan will be submitted by 9 April and an inventory of LASE's intangible, tangible, financial and immovable assets will be carried out by 31 May. Work is already underway to align both universities’ study programmes. RSU and LASE researchers have just received funding for research in medicine, sports science, and natural and social sciences in the research and academic career grants competition of both universities’ consolidation plan.

According to LASE Rector Assoc. Prof. Kalvis Ciekurs, ‘Integrating LASE into the structure of RSU will not happen overnight, but gradually over a transition period. The integration will take the interests of our staff and students into account. I am confident that

the sports science and health care programmes implemented at LASE will become higher quality, and that research in the sports sector will develop more successfully as a result of the consolidation.

The government's decision to accelerate the reorganisation of LASE by one and a half years is yet further proof that in the digital age, we all need to be more flexible professionally and ready for faster changes than before.’

‘During the two-year consolidation transition period, we will implement all activities funded by the consolidation grants and bring the academic and scientific infrastructure and processes up to the standards of a research university,’

said RSU Rector Prof. Aigars Pētersons. ‘In the reorganisation process, we also intend to take over the employment relations with all LASE staff who wish to continue their work at RSU.’

After the reorganisation, LASE will retain its academic and scientific autonomy, as well as its name and symbols, in order to develop research excellence in the field of health and sports sciences, and thus also in the field of national sports policy. RSU resources will ensure a higher quality of studies and research, and the universities will be able to share IT systems, project management, legal and other resources.