The University of Latvia (UL) and Mārupe Municipality have signed a cooperation agreement providing for long-term strategic cooperation in the areas of municipal development, improvement of public administration, infrastructure development, analytics, research, innovation, and knowledge transfer. Particular attention in the cooperation will be devoted to promoting education, sport, and a healthy lifestyle.
“Cooperation promotes a long-term partnership between the University of Latvia and Mārupe Municipality, with the aim of combining academic expertise with the municipality’s development needs. UL is a partner that helps not only to analyse challenges, but also to jointly develop, test, and implement in practice solutions that provide real benefits to society. UL’s diverse and interdisciplinary expertise makes it possible to create solutions based on data, science, and innovation. It is precisely this kind of cooperation between science and the municipality that creates long-term benefits for residents and promotes smarter, data-driven development,” emphasizes UL Vice-Rector for Development Enno Ence.
municipal development challenges are addressed using UL’s research, data analytics, and innovation potential. The cooperation will cover the entire process, from identifying and researching problems to piloting solutions, assessing their impact, and implementing them in practice in the municipality’s work.
“Modern municipal governance is no longer conceivable without data- and research-based solutions. The agreement with the University of Latvia allows Mārupe Municipality to become an innovation platform where researchers’ insights are transformed into practical improvements – more efficient municipal operations, well-planned infrastructure, and a richer cultural and sporting life. Our priority is the development of children and young people, so it is particularly important that the cooperation will also cover practical initiatives such as promoting a healthy lifestyle, basketball, and swimming instruction,” comments Chairman of the Mārupe Municipality Council Aivars Osītis.
During the cooperation, it is planned to carry out research, data analysis, resident surveys, impact assessments, and the development of forecasting models. Significant attention will be paid to infrastructure and mobility issues, as well as to improving the municipality’s administrative processes by seeking solutions to reduce the bureaucratic burden and improve the efficiency of public services. UL researchers, academic staff, students, and doctoral candidates will be involved in the cooperation, promoting knowledge transfer into the municipality’s work.
The cooperation provides not only for research and the development of recommendations, but also for piloting new solutions in the municipal environment, allowing their effectiveness to be tested before broader implementation. In this way, Mārupe Municipality can become an environment where innovative governance and development solutions are tested and applied in practice.
The cooperation also provides for the joint implementation of cultural events, educational activities, and interdisciplinary projects, as well as the development of joint initiatives in basketball, promoting the involvement of children and young people in sport, the development of high-performance sport, and cooperation between the municipality’s sports organisations and the UL Sports Centre. One of the plans for future cooperation is to implement a swimming instruction programme at the future UL Health and Sports House, creating opportunities for children and young people from Mārupe Municipality to learn swimming skills in the future.
The construction of the UL Health and Sports House as a multifunctional complex of regional significance will be the next step in the development of the UL Academic Centre in Torņakalns, Riga.
