PROJECTS

Baltic Engagement Centre for Combating Information Disorders (BECID)

Summary: The primary objective of the Baltic Engagement Centre for Combating Information Disorders (BECID) project is to support the EU in its efforts to tackle disinformation in the three Baltic countries. This is an area of particular importance, due to its location on the edge of the EU and the presence of a large Russian-speaking minority population (approximately 17%). It is also a region that presents a diverse crosssection of post-soviet countries, an important factor to consider when developing responses to fake news and disinformation. We will create an EDMO hub in a key region, which brings together 9 beneficiaries and 1 associated partner from the 3 Baltic States,including 4 research organizations, 4 IFCN certified fact-checkers, a non-profit organization with 13 founding members cooperating on media literacy activities and a Latvian TV channel. We also have 14 external experts supporting us, covering the topics of migration and societal cohesion; environmental policies and climate change; European security policy; Russia’s regional foreign policy; public health etc. Building off numerous previous activities of BECID partners, we will perform continuous fact-checking (720-900 audio, audiovisual or written media texts all up for three Baltic states), create 10 analytical reports on Baltic disinformation trends and a common methodology for analysing them, research information disorders in Baltic social media spaces and the impact of interventions, create systematic reviews of tools and methods used to verify false information and carry out 5 media literacy campaigns. Particular attention will be paid to vulnerable groups such as Russian speakers, elderly and youth.

Implementation period: 01.12.2022. - 31.05.2025.

Project Nr. 101084073

Granting authority: European Health and Digital Executive Agency (Digital SME Support Actions)

HESPI role: Project partner

Cooperation partners: University of Tartu, Tallinn University, Vytautas Magnus University, The Baltic Center for Investigative Journalism, Baltic Centre for Media Excellence (BCME), DELFI UAB, AS Delfi (Latvia), AS EKSPRESS MEEDIA , Associated Partner: Sia Vidzemes Televizija

Project funding: 2 830 662,53 EUR

Project scientific manager (e-mail): Jānis Buholcs (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Involved staff: HESPI research staff Jānis Buholcs, Agnese Dāvidsone, Solvita Denisa-Liepniece, Iveta Auniņa, Katrīne Kūkoja

More information: https://becid.eu/

BECID

Erasmus+ programme KA1 “Higher education student and staff mobility between Programme and Partner Countries”

Goal of the project is to increase international mobility of students and staff as well as international cooperation with partner countries

Type: Erasmus+

Number: 2022-1-LV01-KA171-HED-000074282 (-LV)

Goal of the project: Increase international mobility of students and staff as well as international cooperation with partner countries

The target group: Students and staff at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences and its partner institutions

The leading partner: Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences

All projects partners:

Albania (The University of Shkoder "Luigj Gurakuqi")

Egypt (Ains Shams University)
Egypt (Future University)
Armenia (Brusov State University)
Georgia (Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University)
Georgia (The University of Georgia)

Ukraine (Mykolayiv National Agrarian University)
Ukraine (Chernihiv National University of Technology)
Ukraine (National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy)
Ukraine (Kyiv National Economics university)
Moldova (State Agrarian University of Moldova)

India (University of Hyderabad)
India (National Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management NITHM)
Chile (Universidad Andrés Bello)

Project implementation period: 01.08.2022. – 31.07.2024.

Main activities: Student and staff exchange

Study directions: Business administration, information technologies, communication and journalism, political sciences, tourism

Total budget:  EUR 273 635,00 (273 635,00 EU)

Project funding: EU funding

Erasmus+ Charter: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/resources-and-tools/erasmus-charter-for-higher-education

Information for partners: https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/resources/documents/erasmus-international-credit-mobility_en

The selection process of students takes place at SENDING university based on following criteria - academic performance and achievements, adequacy of exchange study content to the study programme, already used abroad study and internship opportunities (preference is given to students who have not participated in Erasmus+ exchange), study semester, motivation, english or particular national language skills, involvement in various professional activities and projects, other criteria of the partner university.

Student selection has to be documented (including criteria used), after the selection partner university provides an official protocol in order to participate in the particular Erasmus+ KA 171 project. After the selection, university nominates the selected student and only final chosen student has to apply at ViA university for studies (fill in the online application), not all potential candidates.

The selection process of staff takes place at the HOST university (Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences)

Contacts:
Project manager at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences: Tatjana Mažāne
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: +371 22042022

Erasmus+ programme KA1 “Higher education student and staff mobility within programme countries”

Goal of the project is to increase international mobility of students and staff as well as international cooperation within programme countries

Type: Erasmus+

Full title of the project: Erasmus+ programme KA1 “Higher education student and staff mobility within programme countries”

Project number: 2022-1-LV01-KA131-HED-000054608 (-LV) 

Goal of the project: Increase international mobility of students and staff as well as international cooperation within programme countries

The target group: Students and staff at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences and its partner institutions in programme countries

The leading partner: Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences

Project implementation period: 01.06.2022. – 31.07.2024.

Main activities: Student and staff exchange

Study directions: Business administration, information technologies, engineering, communication and journalism, tourism

Total budget:  EUR 292 267,00 (255 554,00 EU; 36713,00 Latvian national co-financing)

Project funding: EU funding, Latvian national co-financing

Erasmus Charter for Higher Education 2021 - 2027:  https://va.lv/sites/default/files/ECHE%202021-2027.pdf

The selection process of students takes place at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences based on following criteria - academic performance and achievements, adequacy of exchange study content to the study programme, already used abroad study and internship opportunities (preference is given to students who have not participated in Erasmus+ exchange), study semester, motivation, English or particular national language skills, involvement in various professional activities and projects.

The selection process of staff takes place at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences.

Project E.I.N.S: E3UDRES2 Entrepreneurship and Innovation Network for Smart and Sustainable European Regions

In 2022, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (ViA) started to implement the project E.I.N.S: E3UDRES2 Entrepreneurship and Innovation Network for Smart and Sustainable European Regions (No. 10043). The project is funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT, https://eit-hei.eu/) which is the largest and most influential innovation network in Europe. This is a new initiative that foresees a major role for higher education institutions to strengthen innovation in the regions.

The project aims to create a strong support mechanism for innovations in the regions, using European University E3UDRES2 (Austria, Belgium, Portugal, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, https://www.eudres.eu/ and University Industry Innovation Network (UIIN, Netherlands, https://www.uiin.org/) professional, academic and scientific contacts.

Main project activities are related to:

1. Ent-r-e-novators (entrepreneurs, researchers, innovators, educators) strengthening, incl. Involvement and support of young talents, experts, management representatives, SMEs, start-ups, local governments, and entrepreneurial citizens;

2. Gathering available expertise, current good practices, strategies, and other sources of inspiration in the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Portugal, Hungary, Romania, and Latvia;

3. Training ViA staff, students, and ViA partners on entrepreneurship and innovation;

4. Cooperation with the innovation ecosystems of the above-mentioned E3UDRES2 partner country regions.

Project partners:

St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences, STPUAS (Austria – lead partner)

University Industry Innovation Network, UIIN (Netherlands)

Polytechnic Institute of Setubal, IPS (Portugal)

Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, MATE (Hungary)

UC Leuven-Limburg University of Applied Sciences, UCLL (Belgium)

Politehnica University Timisoara, UPT (Romania)

Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences, ViA (Latvia)

The ViA project team consists of:

· Representatives of ViA management to implement the results of the project into ViA's innovation strategy and work plans;

· Representatives of ViA faculties and research institutes to participate both in teaching and involvement of students;

· Representatives of non-academic staff who would use the insights of entrepreneurship and innovation in the management and support functions of future projects;

· Researchers and students interested in exploring the concept of open innovation and the region's innovation ecosystems.

Contacts:

Project manager: Iveta Putniņa, administrative vice-rector, and E3UDRES2 project manager This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Project guest research assistant for communication with ViA staff: Tatjana Mazāne, international project manager, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Project research assistant for communication on research resources: Oskars Java, scientific project manager, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Project guest research assistant for communication about training: Inguna Kucina, head of the Knowledge and Technology Center of ViA, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Project implementation period: 01.10.2021. – 30.11.2023.

Funded by: EIT HEI Initiative (European Institute of Innovation and Technology, Higher Education Initiative), Horizon Europe, Co-funded by the European Union

Visitor Monitoring and Digital Solutions for More Efficient Management of Visitors' Flow in Specially Protected Nature Territories

LVAF

The aim of the project is to establish an appropriate high-quality monitoring share and to assess the motivation of visitors, the socio-economic impact, the role of ecosystem services and alternatives to recreation in a specially protected nature area, as well as to provide the Kemeri National Park with the information required by the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism.

In 2020, the joint cooperation between Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences and the Nature Conservation Agency concentrated the resources of both institutions and involved data available to other organizations in order to establish a comprehensive inventory of visitors to specially protected nature territories, which forms a quantitative part of wider monitoring. In order to establish an appropriate qualitative monitoring component and assess visitor motivation, socio-economic impact, the role of ecosystem services and alternatives to recreation in a specially protected nature territory (SPNT), as well as to provide the Kemeri National Park with recertification information required by the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism, a large-scale coordinated survey of the ten most popular SPNTs in Latvia in terms of visitors is planned. A digital platform has already been set up for the interpretation of monitoring data, which needs to be adapted for combining quantitative and qualitative data. This would deepen the understanding of the interrelationships of interactions between humans and nature in SPNTs. The obtained data will be applicable to the situation in Latvia as a whole, in order to use them for making informed decisions on the daily management and protection of the territory and to find solutions for more efficient management of the visitors' flow to SPNTs.

Implementation period: 01.04.2021.-31.05.2022.

Project No. 1-08/172/2020

Funding/ programme: Latvian Environmental Protection Fund

ViA role: Project implementer

Cooperation partners: Nature Conservation Agency

Project funding: 26 653 EUR

Project scientific manager (e-mail): HESPI Lead Researcher Andris Klepers (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Involved staff: HESPI research staff Agita Līviņa, Anda Arkliņa, Iveta Druva-Druvaskalne