Project No:
1.1.1.3./21/A/009
Project acronym:
VIPs
Purpose of the project:
To create sustainable support system, which would strengthen the proficiency of students innovations and entrepreneurship within their study or educational process in Vidzeme. In addition, to promote the cooperation between Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences and its students, industries and entrepreneurs, that would enable them to develop practical utilization of solutions for the challenges defined by merchants and the public.
Main activities:
- Project management and supervision – high-quality and transparent management of the contents, finances and administrative conduct within the Project.
- Involvement and motivation of students – a complex set of activities organized with the goal of attracting students attention to innovations and entrepreneurship and ensuring the participation of target audiences.
- Creation and maintenance of an Idea Bank – a platform which will compile the ideas and challenges of merchants and the public. The platform will include several filtering options in order for it to be usable and transparent.
- The formation and enabling of teams – organization of hackathons, design-generation workshops, events for capacity sustainment and networking.
- Formulation of ideas and projects, formation of teams – hackathons, design-generation workshops, events for capacity sustainment and networking.
- Innovation Laboratory (I-LAB) – tackling the ideas and challenges relevant to different merchants and the public by means of creative thinking and innovative Approach.
- Business Laboratory (B-LAB) – teamwork of students in order to develop a commercializable idea.
- Programme visibility and result broadcasting – a series of national TV broadcasts including interactive games and participation elements. Organization of demonstration days – informing the public about the results of the project.
Project publicity – the development of a publicity plan and providing regular updates on the stages of the programme and project.
Applicant of the project:
Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences
Duration of the project – 26 months
Total cost of the project:
Estimated budget – 999 923,69 EUR,
ERAF foundation 839 935,90 EUR
Co-financing by merchants 159987,79EUR.
Project target of the audience:
The programme will involve and engage at least 700 Vidzeme students in motivation activities. It is expected that slightly less than a third will be involved in ideas and team- building activities, at least 200 Vidzeme students.
The following target group involvement is planned in the defined two main activities: at least 72 students (around 24 teams) in the Business Laboratory, while at least 63 students in the Innovation Laboratory, by creating around 15 teams and 18 individual researchers. In general, it is planned that over 3 cycles around 135 students will be involved in the Business and Innovation Laboratories.
Demo days are planned within and / or at the end of each cycle; it is planned that at least 210 students will participate in them – both those who participated in the programme as participants and other interested students who could participate in the programme in the future. At the end of the programme (after the end of all three cycles), a final closing forum is planned, which will talk and discuss business, innovation, the best projects of the programme, as well as student and university cooperation with industry in an attractive way. The Forum is expected to attract at least 300 participants and viewers.
The indicatively planned number of students or student teams to be supported in the student innovation programme is determined taking into account: the total number of students at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, Valmiera Vocational Education and Training School and Valmiera Secondary School of Art and Design as well as other vocational education institutions of Vidzeme region and the last secondary school classes of secondary education institutions; analyzing the existing co-operation of higher and vocational education institutions with merchants; the practice of examples of foreign and Latvian innovation programms analyzed regarding the extent of participants involvement in equivalent activities; availability of student supervisors, mentors and infrastructure.
Partners of the project:
- Valmiera Development Agency;
- Ventspils University of Applied Sciences
- Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences Foundation
Contact:
Līga Vecā
+ 371 26416174, liga.veca@valmierasnovads.lv
ERAF co-financed project “Vidzeme Innovation Programme for Students – VIPS” No. 1.1.1.3/21/A/009
