Social Sciences Research Centre organises networking event for researchers on food, transport and energy sustainability

From 10 to 12 June, the Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) Social Sciences Research Centre is organising a meeting for participants of the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) action Transformations international Experience and Research network for Sustainable futures (TransformERS) in collaboration with the Baltic Studies Centre. The event will bring together more than 50 researchers from different countries and aims to highlight unexplored aspects of sustainability in food, energy, transport, and textiles.

Dina Bite, lead researcher at the RSU Social Sciences Research Centre, notes that this is an international network of researchers focusing on the interdisciplinary study of specific issues. During their visit to Riga, the researchers will analyse the food sector in both theory and practice, visiting the Riga Central Market and the Āgenskalns Market. During the practical part of the visit, students from the RSU student media network Skaļāk will join the researchers to practice their skills in covering events and reporting from the scene.

The goal of the Social Sciences Research Centre is to contribute to the targeted development of excellent research at the RSU Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS), established in 2024, and at the University as a whole. 

‘We are very happy to welcome a broad range of researchers to Riga and our University for the first international network meeting,’ says Ieva Puzo, Head of the RSU Social Sciences Research Centre. ‘At this event, we will discuss issues that are relevant to all of us now and in the future.

I am confident that the activities that are planned during this meeting will open new horizons, allowing us to foster sustainable and research-based changes in society collectively.’

Miķelis Grīviņš, Head of the Healthy and Sustainable Food Systems Research Group at RSU FSS, points out that food production has undergone significant changes in the last decade due to the availability of digital technologies, consumer behaviour, etc.

‘The task of food researchers is to support businesses with information on risks, tools and innovations that help them make decisions in rapidly changing circumstances and ensure that we have access to healthy food,’ said Grīviņš.

The activities of the RSU Social Sciences Research Centre are focused on the development of interdisciplinary research in social sciences and the refinement of theoretical approaches. The Centre ensures the transfer of knowledge gained through research and promotes the generation of interdisciplinary-oriented researchers by integrating research processes and outcomes into the study process.

In the future, the Centre plans to provide research services in social sciences to other organisations.