Section outline

    • From 26 to 31 October 2025, representatives of the OFINU associated partners - food industry companies from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan - visited Latvia within the project “Promoting Conformity and Access to Education and Knowledge for the Development of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan's Food Sector.”
      The project was developed by the Lifelong Education Centre of the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies to showcase the benefits of open university approaches and foster cooperation between academia and industry. It was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia within the Development Cooperation Grant Programme.
      Participants of the study visit included food industry companies and organisations such as LLC “Agromir”, LLC “Maroqand Meva Sabzavot”, and LLC “Navigul” (Uzbekistan), as well as the Association of Entrepreneurs of Khatlon, the International Association of Producers and Exporters of Agriproducts of Tajikistan, CJSC “Shiri Dushanbe”, and LLC “Oriyon Rustam” (Tajikistan).
      During the visit, participants explored models of science-business collaboration, learned about advanced food processing technologies, and gained insight into innovation development practices. They worked alongside researchers at the LBTU Food Institute and the Technology and Knowledge Transfer Centre, visited the Institute of Horticulture, and participated in a hackathon on digitalisation solutions for the food sector organised by the Latvian Information Technologies Cluster. Study visits to food enterprises “Puratos”, “Tukuma piens”, “Jaunpils piens”, “Jelgavas gaļas kombināts”, and “Felici”, as well as visits to the Pure Research Centre and the cooperative “Augļu nams” were organised. Particular attention was given to food innovation, food safety, sensory evaluation, packaging technologies, and the application of digital solutions. Practical workshops were conducted by researchers and academic staff of the LBTU Food Institute.
      As a result of the visit, participating companies gained valuable knowledge and inspiration for developing innovative products and technologies, as well as a stronger understanding of the benefits of the Open University study format. Some of the acquired knowledge has already been put into practice. For example, the company “Golden Fruit,” a member of the International Association of Producers and Exporters of Agriproducts of Tajikistan, has launched the production of rye bread.

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