This project will explore how the goals of circularity and the Green Deal defined in the European and national policy planning documents can be practically achieved in the tourism system. The research will include a survey of the tourism system organizations to assess the current situation in the implementation of circularity and evaluate the resources and processes that these organizations need to implement circularity and the Green Deal in practice. For in-depth study, 10-12 pilot organizations will be involved in the participatory research. The research will result in a functional model that will help the organization to assess the initially necessary resources and processes for the implementation of circularity. The model will be validated in focus group interviews with the industry stakeholders. As a result of the project, an action policy report will be developed for policy makers, as well as practical recommendations on how, with the help of the functional model, to carry out an assessment of the company\'s resources and processes for the implementation of circularity. The results will be described in scientific publications, presented for scientific and professional organizations in Latvia and abroad. The project will increase the knowledge of the tourism system organizations about circularity and creating a sustainable tourism destination, thus making a real contribution to the recovery and growth of the tourism industry after COVID-19.

"It is universally essential that university teachers not only rise their competence in the discipline matter that they teach, but also acquire professional expertise in the pedagogical methods and approaches. The latter implies both theoretical knowledge of pedagogy and psychology, and practical instructional skills for the conduct of the study process. An additional important competency for academic staff is the ability to use a variety of instructional tools, including ICT. However, there are serious gaps in teachers' pedagogic competencies and mastery of digital tools in Baltic countries. Such a mismatch is very much due to the fact that too many academic staff members in Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania receive little or almost no training in pedagogic methodologies and didactics. Investments in academic staff professional development still remain insufficient (EC, 2017). In this project ""Simulation games for Strategic communication"" three universities from three Baltic countries aim to create and test a number of pedagogical innovations in strategic communication teaching through academic staff training, development of teaching aids, and development of a prototype of an interactive collaborative digital learning and teaching platform suitable for blended learning environments. The project is focusing on the use of innovative teaching approaches for development of students’ transversal competencies such as being able to manage complex data, work efficiently in teams, take strategic decisions in rapidly changing situations, and cope with high levels of uncertainty and ambiguity. The project parters are Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (Latvia), University of Tartu (Estonia), and University of Vilnius (Lithuania). From all three institutions 10 professors of communication science will involve in the professional training activities, development of four simulation game scenarios, elaboration of a handbook and methodological guide for simulation game designers, as well as develop novel instruments for student learning progress monitoring both with self-reported measures and the metrics of learning analytics. Additionally, during the project, a prototype of a interactive digital learning and teaching platform will be developed tailored for blended learning environments. 60 students will be involved in testing and fine-tuning the simulation game scenarios that will be developed through the project. The results of the project will be disseminated through two Multiplier events and several scientific publications written jointly by the project team and submitted to high quality academic journals. The project supports achievement of the long term objectives by European Commission set for the higher education sector: innovative practices in a digital era, innovative methods and pedagogies, and professional development of educators in effective use of digital technologies and adaption of innovative teaching approaches. The project will run from December, 2018 - May, 2021."

Lower limb injuries are the most common in youth football leagues, accounting for 72% to 93% of all injuries. The leading prevention program in football today is the FIFA 11+ warm-up program, which reduces the risk of injury by 30%. Evidence from several studies confirms the addition of feedback during training reduces the incidence of injury by 40% . Recent studies have shown that the smart textile sock system is an objective, easy-to-use tool for real-time foot monitoring and is an interactive feedback tool for athletes. However, there is a lack of information on the impact of the objective feedback provided by the Smart Textile Sensor Socks System on the outcome measures of football players prevention programs. In the first phase of the project, a cross-sectional study involving youth league footballers will be conducted to identify the most effective feedback elements of the smart sock system. In the second phase, a pilot study will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of prevention exercises using the feedback provided by smart textile sensor socks. The results of the functional tests and the study outcomes will be selected as performance indicators to evaluate the smart textile sensor sock system. Conclusions on the use of the smart textile sensor sock system as a feedback method for injury prevention in Latvian Youth Football League players will be drawn based on the results obtained from the project.

This project aim is to establish a unified national decision support tool for achieving Latvia climate neutrality goal. The focus is on modeling the impact of policy decisions across various sectors—energy(including transport), industrial processes, agriculture, LULUCF, and waste management. Tasks include analyzing climate policy commitments, assessing climate tools, identifying innovative technologies, and addressing data needs. The plan involves scrutinizing EU and Latvia adherence to climate obligations, evaluating climate change mitigation and adaptation tools, and identifying advanced technologies in all economic sectors. The project aims to develop novel solutions for reducing climate change impacts and assesses data needs and quality, emphasizing regulatory compliance. The project will prototype an online data system for the energy sector, ensuring accurate climate neutrality forecasting. The project also entails creating an integrated decision-making support system using a system dynamics modelling approach covering economic, social, technological, environmental, and climate aspects. Additionally, an interactive platform for climate mitigation measure validation will be developed, considering cost-optimal pathways for Latvia. The aim is to enhance education quality and supplement the existing scientific knowledge base, promoting a wider impact on decision-making bodies and fostering a sustainable approach to climate policy.

H2-SEAS initiative is an Innovation Action targeting the overarching objectives of the topic HORIZON-MISS-2023-OCEAN-01-05. The initiative proposes a novel, fully-integrated hydrogen-electric fishing vessel to accelerate a sustainable and accessible transition to clean and efficient power for small-scale fishing fleets. Based on hydrogen fuel cell technology, the prototype will demonstrate increased energy efficiency and an environmentally friendly solution for the marine environment: zero emissions and low sound pollution. The project will be implemented by the design, construction, and operational demonstration of a hydrogen-electric fishing vessel, to test and validate its resilience in the harsh marine environment. The outcome will be complimented by the gathering of technical competencies provided by the Latvian Maritime Academy (Riga Technical University) and the Latvian shipyard AtoZ, which are in charge of major activities of hull design, engineering, building, and testing. Genevos, a French SME leader in the integration of hydrogen technologies in the maritime sector will provide the complete energy system engineering, including certified Hydrogen Power Modules, gas integration design and installation. In parallel, survey and research activities will be undertaken by the Estonian Tallinn Centre of the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Latvian Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences to report on regulation and barriers for small-scale fishing ship decarbonisation and to assess the environmental impact of the H2-SEAS initiative on the marine environment. The Distance Education Study Centre (Riga Technical University) will implement and maintain effective project management to create and lead dissemination and exploitation of results forming long-term synergies to broaden hydrogen fuel cell energies for small-scale fishing ships perspectives and meet the European Green deal objectives and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.