Partners// NGO’s, employers’ organizations, higher education institutions

Stockholm University, Sweden

Stockholm University is one of the world’s top 100 higher education institutes. There more than 60,000 students and 5,000 staff are active within science, the humanities and the social sciences. Researchers of Stockholm University contribute to the development of public policy and political decision making, and participate in Nobel Prize Committees and international expert bodies.

University of Turku, Finland

The University of Turku is an internationally competitive university, the operation of which is based on high-quality multidisciplinary research. The University promotes free research and academic education and provides higher education based on research. The University is part of the international academic community and works in collaboration with society. With its seven faculties, 11 independent units and 20,000 students is the second largest university in Finland as measured by student enrollment.

Vilnius University, Lithuania

Vilnius University, one of the oldest and most prominent higher schools in the Central and East Europe has 23 core academic and other equivalent divisions – 12 Faculties, 2 Institutes with faculty rights, 5 research institutes, and 4 inter-faculty Study and research centres. There are about 20 000 students studying at the University and there are 1668 academic degree holders working at the University.

Vilnius University is distinguished for its outstanding achievements in science and carries out fundamental and applied research in all areas of science. In 2008-2013 researchers of the University were authors/co-authors of more than 40 patents. In 2013 Vilnius University has established 4 registered open access centres (IT, lasers, physical sciences, life sciences). Vilnius University has 6 start up companies from biotech and physics sectors. Also the University is licensing its inventions to national and international companies.

University of Stavanger, Norway

The University of Stavanger in Norway has about 9200 students and 1300 faculty, administration and service staff.

Academic life at the University of Stavanger is organized into three faculties, comprising a total of 14 departments/schools and two National Research Centers, as well as the Museum of Archaeology.

Besides University of Stavanger has a tool for commercialization of research ideas – Prekubator Technology Transfer Office and a tool for running incubator activities and helping new enterprises start up – The Stavanger Innovation Park.

The Employers’ Confederation of Latvia, Latvia

The Employers’ Confederation of Latvia (LDDK) is the largest organization representing interests of employers in Latvia. LDDK acts as a partner in socioeconomic negotiations with the Parliament, the Cabinet of Ministers and the Free Trade Union Confederation of Latvia as well as member of Europe Business Confederation “BUSINESSEUROPE”. LDDK unites 68 sectorial and regional employer associations that take a significant place in Latvian economics, as well as enterprises that employ over 50 people. The members of LDDK employ 37% of employees in Latvia.
The mission of LDDK is to enhance effectiveness of entrepreneurship and employment development by taking into account the interests of society at large and to support development of Latvian employers and their organizations.
One of priorities of LDDK is to ensure human resource development according to the needs of economy which involves intensive work on education development, especially VET.  LDDK coordinates involvement of employers in 12 tripartite sectorial councils which were created in 2010 to ensure employer participation in ongoing VET reform, as well as to enhance cooperation between education institutions and the employers.