Description
The Strategic Plan of the University of Latvia (UL) 2010-2020 emphasizes tight involvement of students in mobility schemes, as this contributes both to the study excellence experience of students and improves subsequently the student employ-ability. Within the strategic policy documents mobility is also regarded as an utmost important tool for raising staff's academic qualification. The UL vision and international cooperation strategy underlines the regional significance of the University and the importance of cooperating with the EU and Baltic Sea Region countries. The overall purpose of the project is to establish, develop and strengthen educational co-operation in the economics and management area between UL and University of Agder (AiU). The necessity and sustainability of the project is the development of student competences and skills in accordance with international and global labour market requirements in the future as well as the integration of academics of UL and co-operation in the international academic environment. Main expected benefits: • Sharing experience and best practice; • Promoting collegial interaction; • Collaborating on student mobility projects; • Academic co-operation between both partner universities; • Systematic exchange of experiences between partner universities and between industry and academic experts; • Expansion of joint study possibilities • Academic and student exchange supporting synergy with Research project.
Summary of project results
1 student and 7 staff mobility were planned. The Norwegian student was not interested to come to the University of Latvia (LU) to develop their final thesis, and as a result the partner University offered to change it into staff mobility. A professor from Agder University came to Latvia to cover micro-financing topics, explaining how micro-financing programs helps poor entrepreneurs. While not planned in the signed agreement, a student from Latvia went on mobility to Norway. Workshops, video seminars and incoming staff participation in scientific conferences - held during mobility - helped LU to integrate new methodology and concepts, methods and tools are being developed and disseminated in domains. The experience obtained during the project helped teachers from LU to work more professional when developing new scientific papers, with better possibilities to be published in international journals. The student from LU that went to Agder University for a full 5 month exchange for international business, e-marketing and customer relationship courses earned 30 ECTS earned. In total, 3 academic staff members and 1 student from LV went on mobility to Norway. It's unfortunate that interest from the Norwegian to engage in mobility was low; since they can afford to invite the very best specialists from all over the world (and LU can not compete with Oxford or Harvard), scholars from Norway have booked their visits abroad for 2 years ahead.
Summary of bilateral results
The collaboration between both universities will be maintained through a recently signed Erasmus+ agreement. Student and staff mobility will also continue. During mobility LU staff members visited GRID Arendal and had very fruitful discussions about possible cooperation in future. The next meeting will be in Riga during the conference "Climate change education for all".