The Research Week 2025 event Empowering Academic Research with Microsoft: From Strategy to Practical Tips will bring together university leadership, researchers, and IT professionals to explore real-world experiences and best practices in leveraging Microsoft technologies for academic research. This event will feature case studies from universities, showcasing how institutions are using Microsoft tools to enhance research capabilities, streamline data management, and improve collaboration.

Participants will gain insights into practical applications of Microsoft products, including cloud solutions and data platforms, and learn from success stories on integrating these technologies effectively in research environments.

Agenda

Session I
8:30–9:00	Registration
9:00–9:15	Opening speech Agrita Kiopa, Vice-Rector for Science and Chair of the RSU Council of Science
9:15–9:45	AI, Academic Research and the Fifth Industrial Revolution Jaye Richards-Hill, Director – Education Industry for Central, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Microsoft
9:45–10:45	Research with Cloud Technology: Harnessing the Power of the Cloud / How AI is changing the way we use the cloud Jaye Richards-Hill, Director – Education Industry for Central, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Microsoft
10:45–11:00	Break
Session II
11:00–11:30	Curators at the Intersection of IT, Research, and Data – Building the Research Ecosystem IT Shared Service Centre
11:30–12:00	How to Gather Insights from Data – RSU Microsoft Fabric Use Case Gatis Praličs, RSU Chief Information Systems Architect
12:00–12:30	Driving Digital Transformation in Higher Education with SIS Global Ian Bayley, Head of Education, SIS Global
12:30–13:30	Lunch break
Session III
13:30–13:45	Session III opening speech Jānis Grēviņš, CEO at Higher Education and Research IT Shared Service
13:45–14:15	Enhancing Research Efficiency with Microsoft Azure Laurynas Dovydaitis, Senior Azure Specialist, Microsoft
14:15–14:45	Streamlining Research Workflows with Microsoft Copilot Oliver Zofic, Senior Modern Worksplace specialist, Microsoft
14:45–15:00	Break
Session IV
15:00–15:30	Maximizing Research Potential with Microsoft Azure and the OCRE Framework Kristian Nikander, Account Manager, SoftwareOne
15:30–16:00	To Be Announced
16:00–16:30	To Be Announced
16:30–16:45	Closing Remarks