RSU is an advanced institution of higher medical education in Latvia and also one of the leading in Europe. RSU offers several levels of education, starting from Bachelor and Master lines up to Phd Programmes in all fields of medicine. RSU has an excellent teacher-student ratio with approximately 6500 students to 400 academic staff members. 21% students are international, with 89 in ERASMUS out-going, and 56 in ERASMUS in-going projects. The majority of students are enrolled in the faculties of Medicine, Law, Rehabilitation and Public Health and Social Welfare.

Another key RSU activity is the continuation of education and professional development programmes for the medical doctors and healthcare practitioners. There are five doctorate study programmes operating at RSU – medicine, pharmacy, sociology, law, political science and seven doctorate councils: with bases in medical science, internal medicine, surgery, medicinal biomechanics, dentistry, pharmacy, and sociology. RSU hosts the 2nd level professional education programme "Residency in Medicine" in the form of full-time 3 to 6 year studies, depending on the chosen programme or speciality. The teaching personnel are the country’s leading specialists with remarkable experience and broad cooperation with their colleagues in many European countries. Teaching is offered in the recent theories of disease pathogenesis, modern methods of early diagnostics and modern principles of complex treatment.

Furthermore, Rīga Stradiņš University holds a unique place in Latvia’s scientific field, providing a full research cycle from laboratory to hospital bed. This applies particularly to such research fields of public importance as oncology, infections, paediatrics, rehabilitation and dentistry. RSU is a leading academic research institution in the fields of medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, rehabilitation and nursing sciences. Scientific activity is centred around 62 professors and 30 leading researchers. RSU processes are ISO 9001:2008 certified (Bureay Veritas). Due to this, RSU possesses a managerial capacity required by complex projects.

Since 2008, Rīga Stradiņš University research activities have been organized within the following RSU priority research directions:

• Ageing: biological ageing factors and quality of life in Latvian population
• Structural biology, functional and biomechanical studies for new diagnostic tools and new therapeutic interventions
• Endogenous and exogenous risk factors in Latvia, comprehensive analysis of public health determinants
• Modern approaches to infection agents, their role in infections relevant for Latvia
• Mortality and disability factors during childhood
• Immunochemical, radiological and clinical methods in research on dentofacial and maxillofacial deformities and anomalies
• Clinical epidemiology of functional limitations caused by health disturbances
• Social dimension of medicine, effects of globalisation

One specific field is engulfing the topic of current project proposal, namely: Cancer: research on clinical and molecular characteristics and their advancement for prevention, early diagnosis and improvement of treatment strategies.

Proposed project will be coordinated by the Research Department of RSU. RD/RSU is an administrative entity dealing with the co-ordination, monitoring and support of research activities under the direct jurisdiction of the Vice-Rector for Science. At Rīga Medical Institute, the predecessor of RSU, science was organised in the Central Scientific Research Laboratory, under the guidance of the Research Organisation Department. As a result of structural reforms, the Research Department was created. Employees of the Research Department are responsible for the development of science at the university. RD/RSU activities lie in the support of the effective research activity strategies and the implementation of RSU science policies. An ever-increasing attention is paid to the transfer of knowledge and technologies by integrating knowledge in the basic functions of the University. In short, RD/RSU implements the following activities:

• Provision of RSU scientific activity;
• Evaluation of the complex results of scientific activities;
• Co-ordination of the scientific projects of RSU structural units;
• Support in up-grading the qualifications of the researchers;
• Support in the international collaborative research;
• Representation of RSU in the external communications on scientific activity issues;
• Support of RSU scientific publications;
• Intellectual property registration.