With movement and new ideas: RSU B-Space and Sports Club participate in Alternative Riga festival

To inspire the residents and guests of Riga to get moving physically as well as to spark their entrepreneurial spirit, the Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) business incubator B-Space and the University's Sports Club took part in the city festival Alternative Riga in Uzvaras Park over the past weekend. Visitors to the RSU tent were invited to warm up for the celebrations by trying Nordic walking, testing their football skills, picking a side in tricky dilemmas, and leaving a challenge for student teams to solve.

During the event, B-Space hosted an activity called Idea Fitness. The first step was physical – scoring a goal or competing with friends in a quick football challenge. After that, each guest was encouraged to share their opinion on four topical dilemmas. The majority of participants believed that, in professional sports, a coach with years of experience is more capable of making good decisions than artificial intelligence (AI) relying solely on data. Likewise, most said they would not choose to invest in a company run entirely by AI. A clear preference also emerged for meeting a family doctor in person rather than online. When asked to choose between working in paid employment or starting a business, most leaned toward being an employee – a reminder that entrepreneurship is not the right path for everyone.

This autumn, the RSU B-Space business incubator will launch a pre-incubation programme for students, graduates, and staff, giving them the chance to develop their own business ideas and gain entrepreneurial skills. To help future teams work toward meaningful and sustainable solutions, festival visitors were also invited to contribute to the Idea Bank by leaving challenges, suggestions, ideas or reflections on technologies that could improve healthcare or everyday life. These contributions will serve as inspiration for the programme's participants.

The Alternative Riga event itself brought together more than 30 creative and entertainment activities, offering visitors a fresh way to explore Uzvaras Park. To add to the energy of the day, the RSU Sports Club encouraged participants to try Nordic walking – an activity that proved equally popular among both children and adults celebrating the festival.