Five international conferences, nine parallel sessions, nearly 1 300 presentations from more than 40 countries, 60 experts from 19 countries, and 8 976 participants from 72 countries - these numbers sum up this year’s most significant scientific event, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) Research Week 2025. The event took place from 24 to 28 March and brought together researchers, academics, students, industry representatives, and policymakers to share the latest research findings, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and discuss the best solutions for health and society.
RSU Research Week was officially opened on 24 March by RSU Rector and President of Research Week 2025, Prof. Aigars Pētersons, who was followed by a greeting by the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs.
The 11th International Student Conference Health and Social Sciences kicked off RSU Research Week, bringing together students from various European and global institutions.
From March 26 to 28, Research Week continued with four international conferences running simultaneously:
- Knowledge for Use in Practice, that focuses on medical and healthcare topics,
- Society. Health. Welfare., that covers public health, psychology, environmental and occupational medicine, health management, social work, nursing, and midwifery,
- PLACES, an interdisciplinary conference uniting experts from political science, law, economics, communication, and other social sciences,
- Innovation and Artificial Intelligence: The Path from Research to Practice – a new addition to this year’s Research Week, dedicated to the role of innovation and artificial intelligence in healthcare development.
In addition to the conferences, RSU Research Week featured masterclasses, workshops, discussions, and other side events, including 'Military and Diplomatic Instruments in Sustainable Protection Against Hard and Soft Security Crises in NATO and the European Union'; 'Empowering Academic Research with Microsoft: From Strategy to Practical Tips,' organised by RSU, the Unified Service Center, and Microsoft; 'The Young Athlete in Latvia: How Sustainable Is Our System?'; 'Networking in Motion: Mobility, Digital Platforms, and Human Relationships'; Medical Wrestle – a student simulation competition; MedTech Sprints – a hackathon organized by the RSU Innovation Center, STADA Latvia, and EIT Health, and many more.
The opening ceremony and conferences featured renowned foreign experts, including Dr. Bertalan Meskó, Director of the Medical Futurist Institute; Prof. Romain Meeusen from Vrije Universiteit Brussel; and Prof. Susan Michie, Director of the Centre for Behaviour Change at University College London. Other distinguished speakers represented top global institutions, such as Karolinska Institute, University College London, Amsterdam University Medical Center, the University of Helsinki, and many more.
From Latvia, several high-ranking officials participated in RSU Research Week, including Minister for Defence Andris Sprūds, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Economics Jurģis Miezainis, Member of Parliament Anda Čakša, Deputy State Secretary for Digitalisation and Change Management at the Ministry of Health Aiga Balode, and Minister for Smart Administration and Regional Development Inga Bērziņa.
See you in two years at the RSU Research Week 2027! More Photos here.
