Riga Technical University (RTU) is the only one of Latvian universities that was included among the best 40 universities in the international ranking «World's Universities with Real Impact» (WURI), in the category where the capacity of universities in promoting business and developing the business environment is assessed. RTU ranks 36th and it is the best result not only in Latvia but also in the Baltic States, as in the top 50 in this category Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania and University of Tartu in Estonia have also been included, but they have been ranked lower than RTU, 41st and 42nd position respectively.
In the ranking category «Entrepreneurial Spirit», the ability of RTU students to participate in the student innovation grant programme by training innovative thinking, innovation skills and creating new products, and thus developing their business capabilities during their studies has been particularly evaluated. This programme was launched in 2019 through the funding of RTU and the European Regional Development Fund, which allows students to receive scholarships for participation in activities promoting creativity. During three years it is planned to invest around €400 thousand in the development of business ideas and €1.2 million in scholarships.
The programme implements seven activities for students at all levels of study, both in cooperation with companies and other universities. For example, RTU is implementing an unprecedented business and science cooperation initiative in Latvia, «Industrial PhD», in order to develop closer cooperation between research and business and promote innovation, and the first RTU cooperation partner from the industry is LMT.
Whereas, in cooperation with the University of Latvia, RTU implements “Demola Latvia” programme, in which students offer innovative solutions for business problems. Pre-incubation and incubation programmes for the commercialisation of student ideas, including science-intensive projects are also implemented.
RTU has created an innovation-friendly environment, for example, Design Factory, which provides both technical support for the creation of prototypes and provides an opportunity to complement knowledge for the development of business capacity.
WURI is a new international university ranking system designed to assess universities' contribution to society development, focusing on university achievements in promoting creativity and innovation. This ranking system was established by the Hanseatic League of Universities, which brings together universities focusing on innovation in studies and science.
More information – www.wuri.world
