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Secondary school students get a closer look at entrepreneurship
March 23, 2023
On 16 and 17 March, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the Ventspils Education Board hosted the "School of Young Entrepreneurs", which provided students with an excellent opportunity to develop their entrepreneurial skills through exciting activities, as well as to learn more about the basics of entrepreneurship from both students and representatives of Ventspils companies. Young people worked in teams to solve problems in unusual ways and explore their skills and creativity in a new light. The event was attended by experienced guest speakers and representatives of various companies who gave the young people valuable advice and tips on how to develop themselves, their business idea and how to find the right field of study for them.
The main organisers, students of the bachelor study programme "Start-up Management", revealed that the participants really liked the atmosphere of the event and expressed their interest in the event taking place again in the next academic year, as well as in studying at Ventspils University of Applied Sciences. It is also important to note that everything went smoothly.
Ilze Buņķe, a representative of the Ventspils Education Board, says: "Participating in the closing event of the "School of Young Entrepreneurs", I was really pleased with the opportunity given to the students of Ventspils Secondary Schools and Ventspils Technical College to get into the role of a student, to be in the student environment of the university. Students of the study programme "Start-up Management" at the Faculty of Economics and Management of VUAS presented their future profession to the students. By visiting Ventspils companies such as Bucher and Azeron, the students got introduced to the success stories of the companies, their problem situations and together with the students looked for solutions. After consultations with mentors, students demonstrated their presentation skills, teamwork and communication skills among themselves and students. Most importantly, they developed an interest in entrepreneurship”.
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At the Elektrum Physics Festival, which will take place on April 12 at the ATTA Center in Riga, young people will be invited to engage in exciting physics discovery activities and explore future professions in STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The final of the FIZMIX school knowledge and physics competition will be held for the 30th time during the festival. This will be the fifth edition of the festival, and this year's theme is "Mission: Future." Throughout the day, from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, visitors of all ages can participate in creative workshops and experiments that will test both intellectual and physical skills. The event will feature engaging activities presented by science centers from Latvia and Estonia, universities, extracurricular education institutions, companies, and entertainment centers. Each year, the festival is widely attended, with young people and families appreciating the meaningful way to spend their time—last year, it attracted around 4,000 visitors. Science centers and universities, including Ventspils University of Applied Sciences and Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Center, will offer various educational and interactive activities. Program: 11:00 – 11:25 Opening Ceremony 11:25 – 12:15 Discussion: "STEM Sciences: Future Professions" 12:25 – 14:00 Competitions, experiments on stage, activities, and prizes 14:00 – 14:15 Honoring long-time teachers 14:15 – 14:30 Announcement of FIZMIX competition finalists 14:40 – 15:40 FIZMIX competition final 15:50 – 16:10 FIZMIX competition awards ceremony 16:10 – 16:50 Concert: Fiņķis & Patrisha Organized by AS "Latvenergo," the FIZMIX knowledge competition and Elektrum Physics Festival aim to spark young people's interest in exact sciences, demonstrate how theoretical knowledge can be applied in practice, and encourage students to consider careers in STEM fields.
From March 21 to March 23, Ventspils University was the venue for the European University Alliance Colours hackathon "Combat Robotics" and the Ventspils Robotics Championship – one of the stages of the Latvian Championship. The event brought together technology and robotics enthusiasts from Latvia, Lithuania, Spain, Croatia and Egypt.
On Wednesday, May 28, everyone is invited to the Kurzeme Business Forum “Artificial Intelligence – The 4th Industrial Revolution”, which will take place at the Latvija concert hall. The forum will bring together entrepreneurs, municipal representatives, university staff and students, as well as technology experts to discuss the significance of education and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on business. The first part of the forum will focus on the role of higher education in the AI era. The development of Ventspils University of Applied Sciences will be examined in this context, addressing key questions: How will the education system adapt to new requirements? Which professions will remain relevant, and which will change? The discussion will also explore the synergy between AI and cybersecurity in academic studies. The second part of the forum will address the question—do businesses need AI? The legal framework and state support mechanisms for such innovations will be introduced. Entrepreneurs will share their experiences, and participants will gain insights into common myths and the real situation regarding AI in Latvia’s economy. The discussion will conclude with an exploration of the opportunities for port development in the AI era. Participants will have the chance to engage in valuable discussions and networking sessions. Although the forum will be held in Latvian, the company SIA Tilde will provide real-time translation into any language using AI technology. Register for the forum now: https://www.kurzemesbiznesaforums.lv/ The forum is organized by Ventspils University of Applied Sciences within the European University Alliance COLOURS, in collaboration with the Ventspils State City Municipality, the Freeport of Ventspils Authority, and the Green and Smart Technology Cluster.
From March 21 to March 23, Ventspils University was the venue for the European University Alliance Colours hackathon "Combat Robotics" and the Ventspils Robotics Championship – one of the stages of the Latvian Championship. The event brought together technology and robotics enthusiasts from Latvia, Lithuania, Spain, Croatia and Egypt. On Friday, March 21, 13 teams from various regions of Latvia, as well as partner universities in Croatia and Spain, began a three-day hackathon. During the event, teams were tasked with designing and building a combat robot to compete in a specially designed arena. After several intense battles, the grand prize of €1,500 was claimed by a team from Riga, Latvia with their combat robot "The Shredinator." Second place went to VUAS students with their robot "Bob," earning a €600 cash prize. Meanwhile, third place and a €400 prize were awarded to a team from Latgale with their robot "Zeimuļs vs PRK." The Ventspils City Special Award went to the team "Labākais tiiims ever" for their exceptionally creative combat robot design. Hackathon winner Patriks Ezerins shares: “I think this is a really cool way for people to come together – engineers, future engineers, and robotics enthusiasts – to build something amazing within a set time limit and then battle it out for victory. It’s a unique opportunity! I definitely recommend giving it a try, especially with the kits we provide. Even someone with zero coding knowledge can come, take a basic chassis (which is a pre-assigned part), print it, install the motors and controller, and start driving. That’s it – you’re ready to fight! I encourage everyone to participate, because the more participants we have in the future, the more hackathons like this will continue!” On Saturday, robotics and technology enthusiasts from Latvia, Lithuania and Croatia gathered at VUAS to participate in the Ventspils Robotics Championship. Throughout the championship, more than 50 robots competed in nine different disciplines, like Folkrace, Antweight, Mini Sumo, Line following and iRobot Sumo, and showcasing the participants' outstanding skills and innovative solutions. Team from Croatia placed 2 nd in Mini Sumo PRO category. The Ventspils City Special Award in the Robotics Championship was not given to an individual but to a team from Sigulda in recognition of their enthusiasm and extensive participation, demonstrating their contribution to the development of robotics. Photos: Day 1: https://zviedrans.lv/galleries/ventspils-starptautiskais-cinas-robotu-hakatons-1-diena-21-03-2025/ Day 2: https://zviedrans.lv/galleries/ventspils-starptautiskais-cinas-robotu-hakatons-2-diena-22-03-2025/ Day 3: https://zviedrans.lv/galleries/ventspils-starptautiskais-cinas-robotu-hakatons-3-diena-23-03-2025/
On March 7 at 16:00, the opening of the Ventspils University of Applied Sciences Student Entrepreneurship Center will take place at the Moomentum coworking space. The center is being established within the framework of the European university alliance COLOURS and will serve as an innovation and entrepreneurship support hub for students. The primary goal of the Student Entrepreneurship Center is to foster innovation and entrepreneurship among alliance students, helping them create and develop business ideas. The center provides a supportive environment where students can collaborate with partners to design new products and services that address modern challenges. On March 8, a practical workshop is planned, during which students themselves will define their needs and the type of support they would like to receive when starting a business, as well as identify what has been lacking so far. The head of the Student Entrepreneurship Center, Gvido Grīnbergs, states: "In my opinion, this center will be an excellent collaboration point between the Ventspils Business Support Center, the LIAA Ventspils branch, the Moomentum coworking space, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences students, and society as a whole." The COLOURS alliance brings together nine international universities, uniting approximately 126,000 students, 12,300 staff members, and 54 associated partners. COLOURS offers students opportunities to participate in hackathons both in Latvia and abroad, develop mobility networks, take advantage of extensive internship opportunities, acquire micro-qualification courses for personal development, attend summer schools, and represent their university in international student forums. Additionally, the alliance aims to promote joint educational programs in research and innovation by collaborating with local businesses, thereby enhancing student, young researcher, lecturer, and administrative staff mobility among partner universities. At the same time, innovative interdisciplinary projects will strengthen international research collaboration and support both local and international entrepreneurs by sharing knowledge and technologies.
As part of the European University Alliance “COLOURS”, the students of the Alliance universities are offered a great opportunity to participate in a rapid and collaborative engineering hackathon – the International Ventspils Combat Robotics Hackathon “Combat Robotics”, March 21- 23, 2025 . If any international hackathon participants wish, there is a unique opportunity to participate in an additional activity – the Latvian Robotics Championship 2025, which will also take place in Ventspils, on March 22. , welcoming robotics enthusiasts and curious spectators. Students can participate in this championship with existing robots that they bring with them. Dream it! Make it! Test it! Share it! Problem/ challenge to be solved in the hackathon: Make a robot for the relevant section that proves to be the best combo of performance, innovation, design and technical solutions during the hackathon. Background to the Hackathon problem/ challenge: The CoLab event “Higher education and workforce in the Region” a very topical trend emerged from the business community and stakeholders who participated in the event – that regions need not just engineers, but engineers with creativity and initiative. Research and Development departments need innovative ideas and technological solutions to make the production process more efficient and innovative through the use of robotic technologies. Hackathon Objective: to allow students to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired in their studies in practical projects, to promote engineering and robotics technology development, and to encourage student collaboration within the COLOURS Alliance. Skills which will be improved: design and critical thinking, prototyping, testing, problem-solving, engineering skills, team management and communication skills. The theme of the hackathon matches the area of regional specialization: Advanced industries, manufacturing and smart technologies, electro-mechanical industry, mechatronics and automotive, and Industry 4.0. Over three exciting days, teams will: Develop their combat robots; Present their robots to a jury; Compete in a specially designed arena with eligible robots. Based on the “COLOURS” agreement, the prize fund for the Hackathon is up to 2500 EUR. It’s possible to receive valuable prizes from event sponsors. Registration for the hackathon: Open until March 18, 2025 , by filling out the application form: https://forms.gle/kDraaQ157YyMdA619 The construction will take place on-site with the given materials. To successfully implement the project, you must definitely have some basic technical skills, i.e., electrical connections will be given, you must know simple soldering, the design and implementation of the case requires the ability to draw 2D or 3D simple objects for printing, laser cutting. We will try to help within our abilities, but that is why there are 3-4 people in the team (preferably with different skills) in order to successfully implement the intended project, design.
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