Ventspils University of Applied Sciences

What Ventspils University of Applied Sciences does

Ventspils University of Applied Sciences (VUAS) is a public higher education and research institution in Ventspils, Latvia, established by law in 1999 and operating three faculties: Information Technologies, Economics and Management, and Translation Studies. It enrolls approximately 900 students across 14 bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programmes, with tuition fees ranging from €2,850 to €5,610 per year depending on programme and citizenship status. The university's core product portfolio combines accredited degree programmes with applied research delivered through its wholly-owned research unit, the Engineering Research Institute Ventspils International Radio Astronomy Centre (VIRAC), which operates RT-32 and RT-16 radio telescopes, a LOFAR station, and an HPC cluster used for VLBI observations and CERN Tier-2 data processing. VUAS monetizes through tuition (EU/EEA and international rates), Latvian state funding, competitive research grants (Horizon Europe, ERDF, Latvian Council of Science), commercial radio telescope observation services, and paid public excursions to the Irbene complex. Distribution is event-driven via Erasmus+ mobility, the COLOURS European University Alliance, international cooperation agreements, and direct admissions through an international application portal.

Name

Ventspils University of Applied Sciences

Legal name

Ventspils Augstskola

Website

https://en.venta.lv

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Ventspils University of Applied Sciences is a public Latvian university enrolling approximately 900 students across 14 bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programmes in IT, economics, and translation studies, and operates the VIRAC radio astronomy research institute with RT-32/RT-16 telescopes and HPC infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Polytechnic & Applied Sciences Universities (EDAHAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Applied Research & Innovation Universities (EDAHAEAE)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Applied sciences
• Radio astronomy research
• Translation studies
• Computer science programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Ventspils

HQ country

Latvia

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition Fees: Revenue from tuition fees charged to domestic EU/EEA students and international students at varying rates depending on programme and citizenship status.
2. State Funding: Government funding for accredited study programmes and research activities, including state-funded study places.
3. Research Grants and Projects: EU and national research funding through programmes including Horizon Europe, ERDF, and Latvian Council of Science projects.
4. Excursion and Tourism Services: Fees charged for guided tours of the Irbene radio telescope complex (minimum EUR 40, with scaled pricing for adults/students/children).
5. Radio Telescope Observation Services: Fees for scientific and commercial radio telescope observations, with potential waivers for priority research projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ventspils University of Applied Sciences is a public university delivering accredited bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programmes through three faculties (Information Technologies, Economics and Management, Translation Studies) to approximately 900 students, alongside applied research and infrastructure services delivered via its research institute VIRAC, including radio telescope observations, high-performance computing, and deep-space communications support for space agencies and scientific collaborators.

Product overview

Ventspils University of Applied Sciences is a higher education institution offering a portfolio of study programs across three faculties (Information Technologies, Economics and Management, Translation Studies) at bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels. The university's research institute VIRAC provides radio astronomy services including telescope observations, HPC computing, and deep space communications. The Faculty of Translation Studies incorporates professional industry tools (Phrase, XTRF, Bureau Works, Kaleidoscope) into its curriculum. Additional offerings include lifelong learning programs and public excursions to the Irbene radio telescope complex.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bachelor's Study Programmes
• Master's Study Programmes
• Doctoral Study Programmes
• VIRAC Radio Astronomy Observation Services
• Radio Telescope Complex Excursions
• Lifelong Learning Programmes

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked 6th among Latvian universities in 2014 rating with fastest improvement from 16th to 6th place
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Kaleidoscope (Austria)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 January 2026Strategic collaboration with Austrian company Kaleidoscope to integrate AI-based language and terminology management tools (including Quickterm platform) into the study process for practical AI skills.
• European Very Long Baseline Interferometer Network (EVN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIRAC is a member of the EVN Consortium, enabling participation in pan-European VLBI observations and research collaborations with radio telescopes across Europe.
• Radionet ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIRAC participates in the Radionet Consortium for radio astronomy infrastructure collaboration.
• Swedish Space Corporation (SSC)coreTechnology or IntegrationLong-term collaboration with SSC for space communications, making large-aperture antennas available for lunar and deep space communications supporting ESA, NASA, JAXA, and other missions.
• European Space Agency (ESA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with ESA through various space projects and PRIDE-JUICE mission support.
• COLOURS Alliance (European University Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVUAS is one of nine higher education institutions in Europe participating in the COLOURS Alliance (COLLaborative innOvative sUstainable Regional univerSities) for collaborative research, innovation, and educational initiatives.
• European Commission - European Master in Translation (EMT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaster's programme in Translation and Terminology has been accredited for participation in the EMT network since 2011, with re-accreditation through 2029.
• LOFAR ERICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIRAC became a member of ILT (now LOFAR ERIC) in 2019, enabling participation in the international low-frequency radio telescope network.
• JIV-ERICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVIRAC admitted to JIV-ERIC (Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC) for European VLBI infrastructure coordination.
• Chalmers University of Technology (Onsala Observatory), SwedencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Chalmers University of Technology for radio astronomy research and observations.
• University of Warwick, UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration including joint solar physics studies and entropy research in the Sun's atmosphere.
• KTH Royal Institute of Technology, SwedencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host institution for E-Sailors PhD programme with joint supervision of doctoral research in lunar orbit communications.
• RTU Rēzekne Academy of Technologies (RTA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint doctoral programme partner for Economics and Business PhD programme.
• Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (ViA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint doctoral programme partner for Economics and Business PhD programme and shared promotion council.
• Liepaja UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in joint doctoral programme Languages and Literature Studies along with Daugavpils University.
• Daugavpils UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in joint doctoral programme Languages and Literature Studies along with Liepaja University.
• Ventspils High Technology Park (VHTP)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollaboration with VHTP Business Incubator for student internships and practical experience.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Liepaja University: Another regional Latvian university with comparable size and scope; partners with VUAS in a joint doctoral programme in Languages and Literature Studies, making it a directly comparable peer in the Latvian higher-education landscape.
• RTU Rēzekne Academy of Technologies: Latvian regional higher-education institution with applied-technology focus; co-promotion partner with VUAS in Economics and Business doctoral studies and serves a comparable niche market.
• Daugavpils University: Regional Latvian university collaborating with VUAS on a joint doctoral programme in Language and Literature Studies; serves a similar regional-student demographic and competes for international students from neighbouring countries.
• Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences: Latvian University of Applied Sciences with a similar applied-science focus and comparable scale; joint doctoral partner with VUAS in Economics and Business, making it a structural peer on programme portfolio and student-segment overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Riga Technical University: Largest technical university in the Baltic states with broad engineering and IT programmes; competes with VUAS for international students and research grants but at materially greater scale and brand recognition.
• Kaunas University of Technology: Major Lithuanian technical university with comparable applied-science programmes in IT, electronics, and business; competes in the regional Baltic international-student market.
• Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech): Estonian flagship technical university offering overlapping IT, engineering, and business programmes; competes for international students from Central Asia and Europe at a much larger scale.

Others

• Tilde: Latvian language-technology company partnering with VUAS's Faculty of Translation Studies; an adjacent ecosystem participant in AI/translation technology that intersects with VUAS's curriculum and research.

Emerging players

• Onsala Space Observatory (Chalmers University of Technology): Swedish radio-astronomy research infrastructure collaborating with VIRAC on observations; a comparable European VLBI/LOFAR-affiliated facility and potential joint-research peer.
• Swedish Institute of Space Physics (IRF): Swedish governmental research institute for space physics, atmospheric research and space engineering; comparable to VIRAC's research mission and a potential collaboration peer in space science.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/univentspils

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ventspils University of Applied Sciences