The Research Week 2025 event will bring together university leadership, researchers, and IT professionals to explore real-world experiences and best practices in leveraging Microsoft technologies for academic research. This event will feature case studies from universities, showcasing how institutions are using Microsoft tools to enhance research capabilities, streamline data management, and improve collaboration.

Participants will gain insights into practical applications of Microsoft products, including cloud solutions and data platforms, and learn from success stories on integrating these technologies effectively in research environments. The event will also provide a platform for networking and knowledge exchange amongst higher education institutions and technology experts.

Register here

Watch live:

Keynote Speakers

Ian Bayley

Head of Education, SIS Global

Laurynas Dovydaitis

Senior Azure Specialist, Microsoft

Agate Jarmakoviča

Data Steward, Shared Service Centre in Latvia

Kristian Nikander

Account Manager, SoftwareOne

Gatis Praličs

RSU Chief Information Systems Architector

Jaye Richards-Hill

Director – Education Industry for Central, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Microsoft

Stefan van Aalst

Director, anDREa B.V.

Oliver Zofic

Senior Modern Worksplace specialist, Microsoft

Agenda

Session I
8:30–9:00	Registration
9:00–9:15	Opening speech Agrita Kiopa, Vice-Rector for Science and Chair of the RSU Council of Science
9:15–9:30	AI, Academic Research and the Fifth Industrial Revolution Jaye Richards-Hill, Director – Education Industry for Central, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Microsoft
9:30–10:30	Research with Cloud Technology: Harnessing the Power of the Cloud / How AI is changing the way we use the cloud Jaye Richards-Hill, Director – Education Industry for Central, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Microsoft
10:30–10:45	Break
Session II
10:45–11:15	Curators at the Intersection of IT, Research, and Data – Building the Research Ecosystem Kaspars Bērziņš, Head of Data Strategy at the Shared IT Services Center for Higher Education and Science Agate Jarmakoviča, Data Steward, Shared Service Centre in Latvia; Doctoral Student in the Computer Science and Information Technology Study Programme
11:15–11:45	How to Gather Insights from Data – RSU Microsoft Fabric Use Case Gatis Praličs, RSU Chief Information Systems Architect
11:45–12:15	Driving Digital Transformation in Higher Education with SIS Global Ian Bayley, Head of Education, SIS Global
12:15–13:15	Lunch break
Session III
13:15–13:30	Session III opening speech Jānis Grēviņš, CEO at Higher Education and Research IT Shared Service
13:30–14:00	Enhancing Research Efficiency with Microsoft Azure Laurynas Dovydaitis, Senior Azure Specialist, Microsoft
14:00–14:30	Streamlining Research Workflows with Microsoft Copilot Oliver Zofic, Senior Modern Worksplace specialist, Microsoft
14:30–14:45	Break
Session IV
14:45–15:15	Maximizing Research Potential with Microsoft Azure and the OCRE Framework Kristian Nikander, Account Manager, SoftwareOne
15:15–15:45	Empowering Researchers with EHDS & Non-EHDS Research Environments Stefan van Aalst, Director, anDREa
15:45–16:00	Closing Remarks