Innovation courses

Academic courses "Introduction to Technologies" and "Student Entrepreneurial Spirit” provides an opportunity for students of the University of Latvia to acquire basic knowledge for the development of innovative ideas.

Target group for this activity are all students of the University of Latvia, since courses will be available in Parts B and C.

The courses will help students acquire the basic skills that are required for further implementation of innovative ideas, as well as provide opportunity to start developing innovative ideas in practice. These academic courses will host innovation workshops, where students' innovations will be implemented, which will advance students’ innovation and entrepreneurial skills through performing in interdisciplinary teams of six faculties.

In the first year the Faculty of Business, Management and Economy, the Faculty of Computing, in the next year the Faculty pf Education, Psychology and Art and the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics and in the third year two more faculties of the University of Latvia will join.

The aim is to promote the development of the idea defined by a student or a team to improve the socio-economic situation, to develop new technologies, products and services, acquire the foundations of business and create a minimal viable product already within the course.

The course "Student Entrepreneurial Spirit" is an advanced programme where the following topics are added in addition to the plan included in the study course:

1. Team building
2. Choice of business idea
3. Interview creation
4. Minimal viable product creation
5. Sale

In order to secure interdisciplinary teams, the study course will be implemented in the autumn semester at 6 faculties, ensuring that teams have the necessary technological, managerial and marketing competencies. Once a semester, students' innovation ideas will be evaluated and students who want to develop ideas will be awarded a scholarship for prototyping to create a minimum viable product, as well as providing the opportunity to work in labs - workshops. The readiness of the students will be assessed by a lecturer of the study course, a representative of the University Student Business Incubator and an entrepreneur. Scholarships will be awarded to all students for two months, when practical work is done to develop an idea to a minimum viable product. The result will be evaluated at the end of the course, when students will present the minimum viable products. If the team of students fails to develop a minimum viable product, the problem situation and the experience gained in the practical work will be analysed.