Special purpose scholarships granted to 1,364 doctoral students of the University of Latvia

The ESF project has been successfully implemented at the UL already 4 years. The aim of this project is to support doctoral students in different disciplines of studies and to increase the number of specialists with doctor’s degree. This project aims at future specialists able to plan, invent and introduce high technology products, or products and services with added value to foster the country’s economic development on the basis of innovations. The total budget for the UL to implement the ESF project has been approved by the Ministry of Education and Science at the amount of nearly 15.5 million Lats for the period from June 2009 till June 2015.

The main project success indicator is the number of doctoral theses defended. Such quantitative ratio is calculated based on the total number of doctoral students who have received the ESF scholarship once. The total number of doctoral students to receive the ESF scholarship was estimated taking into account the actual number of doctoral students and estimates on future students to be. Those doctoral students, who had applied for the scholarship in the beginning stage of the ESF project, have had a possibility to apply for the second time. It encouraged many doctoral students to fulfil their academic obligations in due time and repeatedly receive the ESF grant. There will be two more Tenders arranged, but for much smaller number of doctoral students. The present ESF scholarship students will also be allowed to take part in the future Tenders.

From the project commencement date, 408 doctoral theses have been submitted to the Doctoral Council, 272 of them have been successfully defended.

We believe that successfully implemented ESF project will facilitate the involvement of more doctoral students and young scientists in the research programmes initiated by the UL. It will promote research projects in the target areas of the UL Development Strategy. It is expected that new specialists with doctor’s degree will join the UL academic staff and will get involved in the process of studies and research. We believe that the quality of studies will therefore increase; it will attract more students to the UL or other universities and scientific institutions. It shall facilitate more public procurements for qualified specialists in the areas of innovations, know-how economy and production.

More information on eligibility and application for the ESF scholarship is available at the UL web page: www.lu.lv/par/projekti/es/2007-2013/esf/doktora-studijas/.

Translated by students of the professional study programme Translator of the University of Latvia.