Matthias Schubert, Vice President of the German company TÜV Rheinland, visited Riga Technical University (RTU) to learn about new developments in Latvian science, technology and innovation. He visited RTU scientific laboratories, met with scientists and RTU management - Rector Tālis Juhna and Vice-Rector for Innovations Liene Briede.
In his conversation with the guest, the Rector of RTU emphasised the strategic priority of the university - cooperation with industry and innovation creation, involving not only scientists in this process, but also encouraging students to try their hand at creating their own science-intensive products from the very first years of their studies at the university. M. Schubert had the opportunity to get acquainted with one such example - an underwater drone created by Kārlis Bērziņš, a student of the Faculty of Computer Science, Information Technology and Energy at RTU, and Toms Rožkalns, a student of RTU Riga Business School, which can perform survey and search operations in Latvian climatic conditions, as well as obtain various types of data and information about the water ecosystem in real time. The students' work is also of interest to industry, which is why the start-up «SUBmerge Baltic» has been set up to commercialise the underwater drone.
RTU management also presented to the guests the future plans for the establishment of three excellence initiatives - the Hydrogen Excellence Centre, the Microchip Testing Centre and the Baltic Centre for Innovative Particle Therapy, where research will be conducted on how to treat oncological diseases that have so far been difficult to cure with innovative methods. The future vision of Ķīpsala as an island of innovation, where science and industry meet and future technologies are developed, was also outlined.
Schubert was given a small insight into the contribution of RTU scientists to the development of future technologies during a tour of the laboratories. At the Fibre Optic Transmission Systems Laboratory of the Faculty of Computer Science, Information Technology and Energy (FCSITE), which deals with microchip research, the guest had the opportunity to see the world records that RTU scientists have achieved in researching how data can be transmitted as quickly and reliably as possible with smaller devices, using less energy and less heat.
FCSITE also offered the chance to see the work of robotics engineers and to see the robotic systems that have already been developed, the devices that scientists are working on and the work of students. And a tour of FCSITE’s large-motion robotic simulator showed the visitor a variety of programmes that simulate both aircraft control and a bobsleigh run, and are used not only for research but also for purely practical purposes.
As a testament to the collaboration between science and industry, the visit was attended by industry representatives from «Latvijas Mobilais telefons» and the «5G Techritory» ecosystem.
