ILFA UL meets with minister and representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science
To become acquainted with the scientific achievements of the Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia (ILFA UL) and with current issues related to the Institute’s activities, on 22 January the ILFA UL was visited by the Minister for Education and Science, Dace Melbārde, together with a delegation from the Ministry.
“Literature, folklore, and art are living processes that shape the value orientations of our society. I highly value the Institute’s ability to combine fundamental research with contemporary science communication. Our shared goal is to ensure that this unique knowledge reaches every school and teacher, becoming an integral part of modern educational content and fostering a sense of belonging among Latvian young people to their state, nation, and culture,” emphasized Minister for Education and Science Dace Melbārde.
An in-person discussion took place at the premises of the Latvian Folklore Archives, bringing together representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science—Minister Dace Melbārde; the Minister’s Adviser on Public Relations, Renārs Lazdiņš; Head of the State Language Policy Unit, Vineta Ernstone; Director of the Department of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Development, Liene Levada; Deputy Director for Science, Anna Leiškalne; Senior Expert Antra Jansone; and expert in the fields of the humanities and social sciences, Kaspars Zalāns—and representatives of ILFA UL: Director and Leading Researcher Eva Eglāja-Kristsone; Executive Director Līva Ostupe; Scientific Secretary, Researcher, and Editor-in-Chief of the journal Letonica Jānis Oga; Chair of the Scientific Council and Leading Researcher Ieva Garda-Rozenberga; Deputy Chair of the Scientific Council and Leading Researcher Ieva Vīvere; Leading Researcher Dace Bula; Leading Researcher Benedikts Kalnačs; Leading Researcher Toms Ķencis; Head of the Department of Art Studies and Researcher Laine Kristberga; Head of the Latvian Folklore Repository and Researcher Digne Ūdre-Lielbārde; and Researcher Kitija Balcare.
“Although the results of the international evaluation of Latvian scientific institutions for the 2019–2024 activity period will only be made public to the wider society in the near future, the institutions have already received and reviewed their evaluations. Given that the second year of the next evaluation period has already begun, we initiated a discussion on the Institute’s future development. During the meeting, we highlighted the links between the Institute’s activities, research directions, and achievements and the expert assessments received in the international evaluation. We also discussed funding and economic impact policy instruments, considering how the excellence recognized by experts can contribute to strengthening the Institute’s real institutional capacity,” notes ILFA UL Director Eva Eglāja-Kristsone.
During the meeting, discussions addressed not only issues of scientific excellence and performance evaluation, but also the role of the humanities and social sciences in society, the strengthening of cooperation with the education sector—including schools and teachers—and approaches to science communication and their importance in the broader public sphere.