RSU, Kuldīga Municipality and Roche to collaborate on anthropological study of Latvian population

Photo: Courtesy of RSU

On 20 May, Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) Rector, Prof. Aigars Pētersons,  Chair of the Kuldīga Municipality Council, Inese Astaševska, and Member of the Board of the healthcare company Roche Latvija, Rauls Vēliņš, signed a memorandum for cooperation in the implementation of an anthropological study of the Latvian population in the Kuldīga Municipality.  

‘This is not a formal cooperation document.

Both students and young and experienced researchers are working together on the study, using a variety of innovative methods and learning new skills. We are gaining valuable information about what people who lived in Latvia 100 years ago were like, and what we are like today.

This data provides fantastic opportunities for comparison and analysis,’ noted Prof. Pētersons at the opening of the event. 

The project will involve processing historical data collected in Kuldīga as well as conducting a new anthropological expedition. Under the leadership of RSU Prof. Jānis Vētra, the study will focus on height, demography, mobility, and the local population’s sense of regional attachment.

‘We approach history, science and values with great responsibility. The data obtained in this study will be important both for us and for future generations,’ emphasised Inese Astaševska, Chair of the Kuldīga Municipality Council.

‘I am particularly interested in what we will be like 100 years from now. Perhaps, this study will provide an opportunity to glimpse into the future and be prepared for it in advance,’ said Rauls Vēliņš, Member of the Board of Roche Latvija.

The study is a good example of how the academic community, the municipality, and a healthcare company can collaborate in the public interest.

The second phase of the project will take place in the Kuldīga region. The first one was carried out last year in the Piebalga region, followed by new studies, doctoral theses and international collaboration initiatives.