In the mid-January of the current year Riga Stradiņš University (RSU) and the leading pharmacy company in Baltic states JSC Olainfarm entered into the cooperation agreement. The purpose of it is to establish closer daily cooperation, continuing to increase the quality of higher education, compliance of study programmes with development trends of the industry and preparedness of specialists in work environment. Besides, the agreement provides for cooperation in the field of scientific research, including development of innovative products.

“Latvia is the only one of the three Baltic states that has a strong national pharmaceutical industry. Olainfarm, as one of the leading companies in the industry, continuously contributes to its development. Education of young specialists and daily cooperation with higher education institutions is an essential factor in the growth of any industry, and especially in pharmacy, where everything is fundamentally based on science and continuous research. The development plans of Olainfarm are ambitious – to become one of the top ten European manufacturers of medicinal products in their therapeutic groups. We will be able to achieve this goal with experienced, highly qualified and competent specialists, so we are happy to officially strengthen our cooperation with RSU to help young specialists develop and improve professionally,” emphasizes Juris Bundulis, Chairman of the Board of JSC Olainfarm.

On the other hand, Aigars Pētersons, the Rector and Professor of RSU, is sure that cooperation with one of the largest Latvian pharmaceutical companies will provide an opportunity to improve the study process and work in research, adapting it to the current needs of the industry.

“Industrial pharmacy has a high potential in creating innovative and high value-added products. The strengthening of science and study capacity in industrial pharmacy is a very important long-term development direction of RSU, so we are very happy and satisfied with the opportunities that we will be able to continue to implement, developing science and research at the highest level of excellence, thanks to this cooperation agreement with Olainfarm. The pharmacy industry, which is the smart specialization field of Latvia, is also experiencing a very rapid growth here at RSU, where both young specialists and students, as well as young scientists, will be able to work and achieve excellence in the future by using their knowledge professionally and farsightedly,” says Aigars Petersons, the Rector of RSU.

According to the signed cooperation agreement, JSC Olainfarm guarantees RSU students internship opportunities in the company, providing them with a base for conducting research. The company also undertakes to invest in the overall higher education system and efficiency, engaging in the preparation of modern methodological materials and helping to develop educational programs, including in the field of lifelong learning.