Marc Lemaître, the European Commission’s (EU) Director-General for Research and Innovation (RTD) visited Riga Technical University and got acquainted with the university’s contribution to the development of research and innovation.
Lemaitre had the opportunity to meet with RTU innovation vice-rector Liene Briede and science vice-rector Gatis Bažbauers, as well as several scientists.
He visited the Personal Protective Equipment Testing Laboratory, the equipment of which is unique at the world level and critical at a time when the global community is facing both health and geopolitical challenges.
Lemaitre also toured the Water Research and Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory, where various water innovations and biotechnology is developed, including ways to improve monitoring methods for detecting Covid infection in wastewater.
He also was informed of RTU’s vision, competences, and accomplishments in the development of the microchip ecosystem in Latvia. For example, RTU Electronics and Telecommunications professors achieved two world records in Data Center interconnection technologies using silicon photonics chips earlier this year.
In addition, Lemaitre was acquainted with recent sports innovations at RTU and learned firsthand that our researchers are not only striving to understand the principles of peak physical performance—not only to bring out the best in world-class athletes, but to improve health and well-being for everybody with a body.
During his time in Latvia, Lemaitre participated in the Latvian Science Council’s «Horizon Europe: Latvia’s Path to Scientific Excellence,» event where he met with the management of Latvia's largest universities, the Ministry of Education and Science, and the Ministry of Economy.
Life-changing research and innovation like which occurs at RTU has already proved to be among the most powerful of European policies to boost the European Union’s economies and competitiveness at the global scale.
With its ability to drive growth, to create up to 320,000 new highly skilled jobs by 2040 and to leverage approximately 11 euro of additional investments for each euro invested at the European level, research and innovation is an engine of the green and digital transitions on the continent and stairways to «the future we want.»
The Research and Innovation Commission department is responsible for EU policy on research, science, and innovation, with a view to help create growth and jobs and tackle our biggest societal challenges.
