RSU opened its first branch outside Latvia today

On Thursday, 12 September, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) opened its first branch outside Latvia at Elbe Kliniken in the German city of Stade (Lower Saxony). Beside RSU Rector Prof. Aigars Pētersons and Latvian Minister of Health Hossam Abu Meri, the opening ceremony will be attended by the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Latvia in Bremen and Lower Saxony, Lutz H. Peppers, Third Secretary of the Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in the Federal Republic of Germany Didzis Stāvausis, as well as the Landrat of Lower Saxony Kai Seefried, Melanie Reinecke from the Lower Saxony Parliament, representatives of several ministries, Mayor of Stade Sönke Hartlef and a number of other local officials and partners. This is the first international branch of a Baltic national university in the field of medical studies.

RSU is the flagship of higher education export not only in Latvia, but also in Northern Europe. The number of international students at our university is growing every year, and the second largest group are students from Germany who come here to study medicine and dentistry. It is no secret that most of them return to their home countries after their studies. We want them not only to have excellent theoretical and practical knowledge when they enter the job market, but also to have mastered the specifics of their country's healthcare system. By opening this branch , we are sending a clear message to current and potential international students that Latvia, and RSU, is the right place to get a high-quality and competitive higher education.

Prof. Aigars Pētersons, RSU Rector

I am very pleased that Rīga Stradiņš University, and therefore Latvia, is the first of the Baltic States to open a branch in Europe in the field of medicine. I have always known that Latvians do not lack ambition. RSU is ambitiously pursuing its vision of becoming a modern European scientific university where talent is concentrated. The shortage of human resources in healthcare is a major challenge throughout Europe, but we are pleased to see that the number of students at RSU is increasing every year, including in international study programmes. The new branch will be an important added value.

Hossam Abu Meri, Minister for Health

The collaboration with Elbe Kliniken Stade (EKS) began four years ago. Since 2022, five groups of students, a total of 46, have travelled there to acquire new knowledge and skills as part of a pilot project. This year, 26 students are starting their studies at the RSU branch in Stade. The establishment of the RSU branch in Stade will not only provide placement opportunities, but will also ensure clinical studies at the hospital. Now in its fourth year, the RSU branch in Stade offers a full study course, with the contents of the curriculum and examinations still determined by Latvian legislation, and degrees awarded in accordance with Latvian legislation.

The RSU Stade Branch will implement the Medicine programme in English accredited by RSU. The strategic objectives of the branch are to implement the study process mainly for students from Germany or with German language skills at a C1 level, as well as to offer new opportunities for research and the modernisation of study programmes by integrating the best experiences of the University’s West European partners. In September, 19 lecturers from Stade will start working in the new branch, with at least 10 more to join by the end of the semester.

‘The collaboration with RSU is a far-sighted project that will strengthen regional healthcare in the long term. We are facing a shortage of doctors in the region due to a national lack of young talent. The number of available places at medical school is too low to meet demand. In addition, there are demographic changes that also affect hospitals. The collaboration with RSU will address both of these issues. In this way, we hope to attract future doctors who will be able to support outpatient and inpatient care in the region after completing their studies. I am proud of this collaboration and look forward to the positive development it will bring,’ says Siegfried Ristau, CEO of Elbe Kliniken Stade.

In recent years, RSU has been actively expanding its collaboration with universities and clinics abroad. RSU has already developed an extensive network of clinical sites abroad to facilitate student and faculty mobility - eight clinical study centres have been established in Germany and six other countries to provide students with hands-on training. They are now joined by the University’s first branch, which will also offer a full study course.

There are currently around 690 German students studying at RSU, representing 21% of all international students. RSU is able to ensure that 99% of German students complete a placement in their home country. In total, RSU has placed German students at 107 hospitals and healthcare institutions across Germany.