Continuing the promotion of innovation in education and the gradual transfer of world best practices to Latvian higher education institutions, an international higher education conference, ‘Light Up Latvia,’ will take place on November 9th of this year. Its goal is to assess the development of innovation-based higher education in Latvia and facilitate interaction among interested parties, with a special emphasis on the role of higher education. The conference will be held at “Fantadroms, Jaunā Teika”, bringing together education leaders, entrepreneurs, government officials, and education enthusiasts. More information about the conference schedule and registration is available on the conference page: https://rbs.lv/event/light-up-latvia/.
The ‘Light Up Latvia’ conference is intended as a venue for celebrating current achievements and discussing the next steps inspired by best practices in other universities. Internationally renowned speakers and experts, such as Satish K. Tripathi, President of the University at Buffalo, and representatives from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, will lead sessions and discussions in the field of educational innovation. During the conference, there will also be panel discussions, interactive sessions, and practical workshops dedicated to innovation in education.
Vijay Kumar, Executive Director of the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab (MIT J-WEL), will participate in a panel discussion on implementing MIT’s best practices in Latvia. Conference participants will have the opportunity to delve into specific experiences, such as ecosystem mapping, faculty exchange programs, and advanced programming curriculum in high schools.
A significant part of this conference will be the presentation of six innovative education projects developed over the past year, thanks to the establishment of the Education Innovation Laboratory, which is funded by the Ministry of Education and Science in Latvia and is managed on a daily basis by Riga Business School as a structural unit of Riga Technical University. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to vote for the project they believe has the greatest potential to impact the educational landscape in Latvia.
Higher education is where bold and daring ideas are born, which is the basis for innovations that change the education sector, the country, and the world. International competition for advanced specialists with the skills to create knowledge-based solutions and drive change in their fields is growing, placing a great responsibility on higher education in Latvia. We need to be dynamic and able to adopt the best practices from the best quickly, and we need to be able to introduce world-class innovations in higher education, for which this conference is an excellent testimony.
Santa Šmīdlere
Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Science
I believe that the ‘Light Up Latvia’ conference is an excellent platform to draw inspiration for valuable changes and raise ambitions for progress. Through knowledge, innovation, and bold steps taken in the field of education, we can transform Latvia’s economy.
Claudio Rivera
Riga Business School Director
The conference is organized by the Education Innovation Laboratory (EIL), which is supported by the Ministry of Education and Science and implemented in close collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s laboratory, ‘Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab.’ EIL was established to build an innovation ecosystem for change-makers to create impact by experimenting with bold ideas shaped by education. The conference is funded by the European Regional Development Fund under project No. 1.1.1.5/18/1/008, ‘Support for RTU International Cooperation Projects in Research and Innovation,’ and European Union Structural Fund project No. 8.3.2.2./16/I/001, ‘Support for the Development of Individual Competences of Learners.
