Within the European University of Technology (EUt+) framework, Riga Technical University is organizing a Financial Management Staff week, which will take place in Riga, between April 17–21. The purpose of this program, is for the EUt+ staff members to exchange ideas and learn from each other to better improve their financial and project management skills.

The objectives of the week are to discuss different problem situations, and to work together to problem-solve such situations and to be better prepared and more efficient in the future. The targets of the program are three project areas, mobility projects, cooperation projects, and scientific projects. Therefore, we hope to host staff from EUt+ partners, that works within each of these projects.

Apply here.

 

Contact us:

Sabine Baltaisbrence

sabine.baltaisbrence@rtu.lv

+371 67089709

Next year the EU Commission will decide which of the consortia it will continue to fund within the framework of the ‘European Universities Initiative‘. As a result from 21 to 25 November, over 100 participants from the eight Eut+ partner insitutions are expected at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (h_da) for series of meetings, workshops and panels.

The focus of the week will be to take stock of the progress made to date and to complete an application for the second phase of funding which is due in January 2023.

A huge amount has already been achieved by the partner institutions within a very short space of time including the establishment of five research centers (a first in the European university landscape);  joint teaching and research projects including collaborations with institutions such as FAIR/GSI and the European Space Agency ESA; progress on the development of joint degrees; and the development of a strong, recognisable brand.

This week the newly founded Education Committee, comprised of the Vice-Presidents of the respective partners, will focus on the planned joint degree programmes while the Steering Committee will develop the application for the next funding phase. In addition, the participants will discuss the next steps towards creating a joint Sustainability Office which is a key goal for the partner institutions.

Finally a visit to the ‘Darmstadt Weinhnachtsmarket‘ or Christmas Market has been arranged to round off the working week.

At the beginning of August this year, 9 students of the “Environmental Engineering” and “Environmental Science” study programs together with the lecturer went on a short-term mobility trip to the Cyprus University of Technology in order to get to know better both the university itself and the EUt+ initiative, in which RTU together with 7 other universities, including Cyprus The Technical University (CUT), is jointly working on the creation of the European University of Technology.

On the first day of the visit, the students visited the premises of the university, where they met with its teaching staff. During the meeting, the rector of the university together with the leading lecturers presented the activities of the university and were also introduced with the activities of the VASSI institute. This was followed by various campus tours. The students had the opportunity to see the university’s auditoriums and laboratories, while listening to Cypriot teaching staff talk about various research processes, some of which are also carried out at RTU, and some of which were a completely new and valuable experience. The technology center (CUTing Edge) was also visited, where virtual reality is integrated into the learning process and students with creative approaches can work with VR (virtual reality), robotics, 3D printing and other modern technologies. This department is also run by the students themselves, making the learning process more interesting.

As one of the most valuable activities of the visit, the students themselves mentioned the visit to the KEAN fruit juice factory operating in Limassol, during which the company’s representatives presented the company’s operation, the production line and showed various production stages, technologies and told about the implemented energy efficiency measures. During the tour, both theoretical knowledge about the operation of the company and the technical operation of solar collectors was provided, as well as practical – students were introduced to the operation of the entire production process, starting from raw material monitoring and quality control to the juice production process, solar collector control system and water treatment. The manager of the production process and the environmental expert gave clear and detailed answers to all questions, in general providing invaluable experience and knowledge, which young RTU researchers will be able to use later both when writing project applications and analyzing the operations of companies and looking for the best solutions for implementing renewable energy technologies.

 

As the students themselves say, this has been:

“Overall, a very valuable experience exchange trip, during which you could see various environmental technologies and solutions, compare the environmental problems in Cyprus with those in Latvia. Better understand the EUT+ idea concept and implementation plan. Get to know the representatives of the university and the local culture.”

Krista Laktuka, researcher at the Institute of Environmental Protection and Heat Systems

 

“The trip provided very valuable experience and knowledge of the academic process and laboratory work, as well as valuable knowledge of one of the leading manufacturing companies in Cyprus, where renewable energy technologies are widely used. The representatives of the University left the impression that we were welcome and the teaching staff were interested in joint cooperation with our institute, arranging to visit it already in the fall.”

RTU VASSI researcher Lauma Balode

 

“During the mobility, there was a positive overview of this type of university field trip programs, as it is possible to learn about different approaches in choosing energy production technologies, as well as the problems and opportunities that different regions face.”

VASSI Scientific assistant Jānis Krūmiņš

 

“During the exchange trip to the Cyprus University of Technology, we mainly gained contacts and got acquainted with the study directions, methods and various innovations, teaching and working approach of this university. We exchanged useful knowledge on various technical matters as well as laboratory issues. I personally really liked the trip, because in it we not only visited the university, its laboratories, local companies, but also got an insight into their culture, made new contacts abroad and got to know each other (VASSI colleagues) more, which promoted cohesion and will definitely have a positive impact on the future course of work at RTU.”

Ketija Bumbiere, M.sc.ing.,

Lecturer and researcher at the Institute of Environmental Protection and Heat Systems

 

“Overall, I was very satisfied with the EUT+ experience exchange trip where we visited the Cyprus University of Technology. It was interesting to get acquainted with the teaching methods and available infrastructure at the university, which made it possible to identify potential directions of development that could also be adopted by RTU. What I liked most was the organized trip to KEAN, the largest juice producer in Cyprus, where I had the opportunity to learn about the energy efficiency and decarbonization challenges faced by large manufacturing companies in Cyprus.”

Kristiāna Dolge, PhD candidate in the study program “Environmental Engineering”

 

“Personally, it was very interesting, because there was a lot of emphasis on the laboratories and specifically on the water purification laboratory, where they talked about the use of microbiology in it. We saw how microalgae are cultivated in flasks for water purification tests, and also, due to the fact that citrus processing is of great importance in the country, how carotenoids are tried to be recovered from orange peel waste (we ourselves will now specially grow microorganisms in the laboratory to synthesize these carotenoids in biomass as additional products for aquaculture feeding). Overall, a very pleasant impression of both the university and Cyprus. Everyone welcomed us very kindly and spoke with interest and encouraged discussions about what they are doing to improve and be more sustainable.

Indra Bērziņa, Master’s student in the “Environmental Engineering” study program

In the week of the 160th anniversary of Riga Technical University (RTU), the partners of the emerging European University of Technology (EUt +) are meeting for the first time in Riga – eight universities have joined forces to create a completely new internationally competitive technical university in Europe. During the meeting, the partner universities are discussing issues related to student mobility, curriculum development, university cooperation with industry, as well as a panel discussion on ethics in innovation creation will be organised.

As the global competition between higher education institutions intensifies, European universities are forming alliances and forming common higher education institutions to offer competitive content and participate in the global education market.

EUt + is formed by RTU, Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Polytechnic University of Cartagena, Cyprus University of Technology, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Technical University of Sofia and University of Technology of Troyes. The consortium has chosen the goal of creating an inclusive higher education association, not an elite one, where everyone capable of higher education in engineering. In the long run, the consortium sees itself as a federal entity with relatively close integration – the consortium is a single legal entity with common finances, common study and research processes. Work is currently underway to develop joint study programs and coordinate the scientific process.

At a working meeting in Riga, the EUt + university management is discussing the content of the new study programs and the development of a single European degree. The new degree is developed in five thematic clusters – Civil Engineering, Telecommunications, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Architecture. It is not just the creation of joint study programs, but a completely new concept – the next generation of study programs with completely new content based on transversal competencies, collaboration with industry, the creation of student mobility maps, ethics, inclusive principles, the social dimension, sustainability.

As both the new university itself and the study programs are considered to be innovations, the EUt+ partners are discussing the ethical aspects of innovation at the Riga meeting. On the 30th of June, at 13:30 there will be a panel discussion “Ethical and responsible innovation”, where ethical aspects will be discussed from the legal, economic, as well as the institutional aspects of the state.

The EUt+ meeting in Riga is the consortium’s regular monthly meeting, as the partner universities meet every month at one of the eight universities. Approximately 100 guests from EUt+ member universities arrived in Riga for the working week. On the 1st of July, guests are invited to take part in the 160th anniversary event of RTU in Mežaparks, where both the traditional RTU Grand Graduation, a festive concert and an exhibition of products and prototypes developed by RTU scientists and students are planned.