“From Idea to Cambridge” Programme

The programme “From Idea to Cambridge” is a high-level pre-incubation programme implemented by the University of Latvia in cooperation with universities in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Its aim is to develop students’ ideas, strengthen their innovation capabilities, and prepare competitive innovation proposals at an international level. The total duration of the programme is five months.

The programme consists of two stages:

Latvia module (12 weeks) – Includes lectures and practical workshops on design thinking, customer research, financial planning, MVP development, and presentation skills. Teams work alongside experts and entrepreneurs.

Cambridge module (1 week) – An intensive programme in which students are introduced to the global innovation environment, collaborate with international experts, visit companies, and further develop their ideas. During this stage, feedback is provided by international experts.

Between the two modules, additional workshops are organised to strengthen ideas and prepare teams for the international stage.

Programme objectives:

• To promote the development of students’ entrepreneurial skills and innovation potential in an international environment.

• To provide students with knowledge, practical tools, and mentoring support for the development and refinement of their ideas.

• To help students transform ideas into viable solutions and prepare for international competition.

• To foster collaboration between the university, the business environment, and international partners.

Benefits for students:

• Funding – Access to funding for the implementation of ideas, covering expert fees, materials and service costs, as well as mobility expenses.

• International experience – The opportunity to participate in an intensive one-week programme in Cambridge, working with international experts.

• Expert consultations – Collaboration with experienced experts and entrepreneurs in both the Latvia and Cambridge modules.

• International partner network – The opportunity to build connections with Cambridge universities and other partners within the Cambridge innovation ecosystem.

Participation in the programme is team-based. Following the selection of innovation proposals, students are provided with training, consultations with experts, and guidance from industry professionals. Each team is assigned a supervisor whose role is to ensure the structured progression of the work and to oversee the development of the innovation and prototype.

The programme is organized by the University of Latvia Innovation and Acceleration Center within the ERDF co-funded project No. 1.1.1.7/1/25/A/005 “Innovation Grants for Students of the University of Latvia.”