By Iveta Putniņa, Mg.paed., and Agita Šmitiņa, Dr. sc.admin., Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences
Universities in regions, although small, play a huge role in the development of the region – they are powerful drivers of regional development in multiple ways. Their contributions span intellectual, economic, entrepreneurial, and innovative fields, making them essential pillars for their communities. The entrepreneurial mindset of universities emphasizes close collaboration between universities, industry and government, and contributes tertiary education to society and economic development. The mindset of an Entrepreneurial University also has an impact on economic growth, employment, importance of socioeconomic and environmental issues.
Latvia’s higher education institutions are navigating both regional and global pressures to create innovation and entrepreneurship. Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (ViA) as a relatively small university is closely connected to various business activities in the region and cooperates with local entrepreneurs by organising student internships, creating hackathons, joint entrepreneurial and innovative projects, and cooperating with business incubators. ViA’s vision is closely connected with entrepreneurial and innovative transformation both in the university and in the Vidzeme region.
Vidzeme Innovation Week
During Vidzeme Innovation Week 2025, ViA brought together the region’s largest employers, young and experienced entrepreneurs, university employees, pupils, students, business incubators, and local governments in several powerful events. Together with the Latvian Investment Development Agency and with the support of the Accelerate Future HEI project our university organised a youth and young entrepreneurs Innovation Forum, during which 200 young people had the opportunity to gain knowledge about business areas, and participate in master classes, and workshops on inspiring topics. They heard real-life stories from young entrepreneurs and graduates about how to innovate, how to succeed in business, how to fail, and stay inspired.
Youth Innovation Forum 2025
In feedback from the ViA Youth Innovation Forum, young people shared that they were inspired by the speakers and responded well to the success and failure stories of entrepreneurs, they actively participated in workshops and discussed their experiences during breaks. The forum showed that courage is also an integral part of innovation – it is the courage to abandon the usual and accept new challenges, overcoming the obstacles of traditional thinking and action.
The importance of developing entrepreneurial skills was also noted by teachers and career counsellors in an open discussion panel organised by Accelerate Future HEI ViA representatives. They invited educators from various schools in the region who felt the event allowed young people to broaden their horizons, promoted thinking and provided experience, as well as allowing them to develop higher self-confidence. They noted the role of regional universities in the career development of young people. It is a challenge for young people to find out what they want and like to do, they are afraid to start new things, and these kinds of events help them to overcome hesitation and take the first step. Inspiring examples and stories about how to cooperate, how to fail and start again mean a lot for their self-development and becoming more entrepreneurial. We also identified the role of municipalities to bring together schools, universities and companies to ensure that the education is better connected to real business environments.
Business Lab 2025
The power of Innovation Week continued with another of the university’s largest entrepreneurial events – the Cooperation Forum. Regional entrepreneurs and major cooperation partners exchanged experiences with entrepreneurial successes, established mutual contacts, and outlined further cooperation opportunities with the university. Iveta Putniņa and Agita Šmitiņa, project managers of the Accelerate Future HEI project, shared both their vision of the role of an entrepreneurial university in the region and their experience in promoting cooperation between the university and the regions. They spoke about the excellent program – Business Laboratory 2025, in which 40 young entrepreneurs from four regions, together with university lecturers and mentors, develop their ideas, establish contacts, and gain excellent experience and knowledge trying to turn their ideas into reality.
During Innovation Week, Business Laboratory participants met with mentors, discussed their intended business ideas, networked, and listened to lecturers. Project leader, Agita Šmitiņa highlighted, “Previous experience shows that participants can develop and strengthen their business ideas, gain inspiration and assess the viability of their concepts. We’re particularly proud that last year’s participants went on to win municipal grants and even establish their own companies.”
The programme, Business Laboratory 2025 is implemented within the framework of the Accelerate Future HEI project and ends with a final event on 15th May 2025, when participants will present their refined business ideas. During this week a significant open lecture was offered to anyone interested in the art of innovation management, creating an understanding of different types of innovation, and the role of innovation in sustainable and powerful business development.
“An important aspect of ViA’s vision is to become an engaged university and to be a leader in promoting entrepreneurial skills in the region and with such events, we are succeeding”, emphasize the ViA leaders of the Accelerate Future HEI project. Regional universities are far more than educational institutions; they are catalysts for holistic regional development. By nurturing talent, driving economic activity, fostering entrepreneurship, and leading innovation, they create self-sustaining ecosystems that improve the quality of life and competitiveness of their regions. Investing in these universities ensures long-term prosperity for local communities and beyond.
