AS Olpha Excellence Scholarships presented to most talented RSU Faculty of Pharmacy students
Photo: Courtesy of RSU
At the end of May, the leading Baltic pharmaceutical company Olpha awarded scholarships of EUR 2,000 to three future pharmacists for the 15th time – 4th year students from the Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) Faculty of Pharmacy Alīna Jaroslava Frolova, Kristofers Rudzītis and Daniela Paula Prudņikova. The company will support the young specialists with EUR 200 a month for ten months of studies.
All three students have demonstrated excellent academic performance and achievements, qualifying them for the scholarship. In addition to their studies, the three young pharmacists, Olpha scholarship holders, are already actively working in the field of science.
Alīna Jaroslava Frolova is a member of the RSU Research Group and works closely with Laboratory of Finished Dosage Forms, testing and developing new pharmaceutical binders as well as methods to prevent the misuse of medications.
Daniela Paula Prudņikova is also involved in two RSU research projects. She develops innovative dosage forms such as nanoparticles and hydrogels for wound care, as well as studies the dissolution profiles of active substances to perform mathematical modelling and predict the further course of the process.
Kristofers Rudzītis has begun his pharmaceutical career through research work at the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis. The scholarship holders refer to their early interest in chemistry, human physiological processes, and biotechnology as their motivation for choosing pharmacy studies.
Long-term contribution to the development of pharmacy
‘At the end of May, the Latvian pharmaceutical manufacturing industry presented a long-term development strategy, involving companies, universities, and research institutes. The strategy envisages the industry quadrupling its turnover from the current 400 million EUR to 1.5 billion EUR over the next ten years. To achieve this, we will need knowledgeable specialists in science and clinical research as well as industrial manufacturing.
I am confident that these three young people will contribute to the success story of Latvia’s pharmaceutical industry,’
said Juris Bundulis, Chairman of the Board of Olpha.
Scholarship award ceremony
All three new scholarship recipients took part in the award ceremony, along with Paula Jumīte, Executive Director of the RSU Alumni Association, Dace Bandere, Dean of the RSU Faculty of Pharmacy, and representatives from Olpha.
‘When I found out which of our faculty’s students had received the Olpha scholarship, I thought that it couldn’t have been any other way. These students have shown the highest academic achievements and proven themselves in the academic world.
I would like to thank Olpha for another year together, for yet another excellent collaboration project,’ said Dace Bandere, Dean of the RSU Faculty of Pharmacy.
‘When I was a student, we used to say that 10% is talent and 90% is hard work.
These scholars are the ones who have put in 95% or more to earn their scholarships because talent is a gift, but it can be wasted, while hard work depends on us alone.
These students are only at the beginning of their journey!’ said Paula Jumīte, Executive Director of the RSU Alumni Association.
Scholarship tradition and collaboration with RSU
Olpha has been awarding Excellence Scholarships to final-year students of the RSU Faculty of Pharmacy since 2011, and this year marks the 15th time in a row. The project is part of wider collaboration between Olpha and RSU. In January 2024, both parties signed an agreement that guarantees RSU students placement opportunities at the company, also providing them with a base for conducting research.
