The Ted4Lat project has brought together bright minds to explore the frontiers of digital transformation and mobility. To understand the impact of this initiative, we sat down with two doctoral students, Dzintars Jankovskis and Guna Jakobsone-Snepste, to discuss their unique experiences, insights, and the profound effect the project has had on their academic and personal journeys.
Welcome, both of you. To start, could you each describe the Ted4Lat project in your own words, perhaps with a metaphor?
Guna Jakobsone-Snepste: “I see the Ted4Lat project as a complex dance performance.Each ‘dancer,’ or agent, moves according to specific rules and interacts with the others, creating a harmonious and dynamic show.This performance unfolds on the magnificent stages of Italy and France, where every movement reflects the processes of mobility and digital transformation.”
Dzintars Jankovskis: “For me, TED4LAT is like a lighthouse. It serves as a guiding light, helping Latvia navigate the uncertainties of environmental data.”
How has your direct involvement in this “performance” or “lighthouse” project impacted you?
Guna: “My life has changed completely. The Ted4Lat project has opened the door to new opportunities, knowledge, and experiences for me.A key part of this is that we are accompanied by experienced and excellent advisors. I worked with Guillaume Deffuant from INRAE.”
Dzintars: “My involvement has provided me with valuable insights into digital twinning and the technology it encompasses, which can be applied to e-learning.The desire to learn and grow during my doctoral studies really inspired me to join.The project gave me the chance to work with and learn from a very knowledgeable and professional scientist, Anna Carbone (POLITO).”
Have there been any unexpected discoveries or ‘aha!’ moments during your time with the project?
Dzintars: “I think the biggest discovery for me was that a very complex system can be explained in a well-defined framework like a digital twin.It was insightful to see that its technology can be applied in so many different industries.”
Guna: “For me, the realization was simpler but just as profound: everything is possible in life, you just need to find the right teachers and companions.”
Guna, you mentioned your journey started as a “lucky coincidence.” Could you tell us more about that?
Guna: “It truly was a very lucky coincidence to be in the place where Ted4Lat was built.The scientific and professional team helps everything happen so organically and seamlessly, you almost don’t notice the immense effort behind it.”
And Dzintars, you mentioned the collaboration with Anna Carbone led to a publication. How was that process?
Dzintars: “The collaboration was strong over more than eight months, and we got our desired result: a publication and further direction for my research.Coming from an engineering background, most of the concepts were understandable, but it was sometimes hard to apply them to my research.In the end, we found a middle ground, and I think that is the most important thing.”
Last question. If you could collaborate with anyone, living or historical, who would it be?
Dzintars: “I think it must be Michael Grieves, who is the ‘father of Digital twin’ and is still working on his ideas.It would be interesting to get his insight on the technology and how he sees it contributing to the e-learning world.”
Guna: “That’s an interesting question. I’d rather work with someone from the future!”
From the August 31 to September 5 2025 POLITO welcomed PhD students and young researchers from RTU, RTU Liepaja un ViA (LV). Week was full of inspiring experience’ exchange about research and start-ups. Team worked hard on project proposal and PhD student Mairita Zaķe (ViA) had an opportunity to present her research and get useful advices from prof. Anna Carbone (POLITO).
That’s a wrap on an amazing weeks at the BEHAVE Summer School On Agent Based Modelling 2025 (1- 12 September 2025) jointly organised by the Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Milan and the Department of Information Engineering, University of Brescia, and supported by ESSA-The European Social Simulation Association 🔬 Our brilliant PhD students – Guna Jākobsone-Šnepste, Soroush Saneimoghaddam, Svetlana Osinceva, Yelingyun Zhang – and young researcher Ieva Vītolina dove deep into the world of behavioral science, learning from leading experts and collaborating with peers from around the globe. They’ve tackled complex challenges and gained new skills that will undoubtedly shape their research and future careers. The energy and passion were infectious! We’re incredibly proud of their hard work and can’t wait to see the incredible things they’ll do next. A huge thank you to everyone who made this event a huge success!
From July 14 to 18, 2025, the Ted4Lat Doctoral School and Workshop “Open Data for Addressing Interconnected Environmental and Social Challenges” will take place at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (ViA), bringing together students from Latvia, France, Italy, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania, Albania, and India.
The doctoral summer school will gather students and professors to work together with data. Students will present progress reports on their doctoral research and collaborate in teams to develop new open data solutions, while professors will provide valuable feedback and serve as mentors.
Students will participate in lectures, workshops, and a hackathon to not only learn about using data as a driving force of digital transformation but also to foster innovation across various processes.
“The doctoral summer school is designed to give PhD students and candidates a boost in developing their dissertations while also enhancing skills in defining innovative products — a crucial aspect of modern science, which must become increasingly connected to society. To achieve these goals, PhD candidates will have the opportunity to present progress reports and participate in a data hackathon. Additionally, the program includes several guest speaker presentations, focusing both on data use in current research projects and on specific data-related topics,” explains lead researcher and doctoral school organizer Ph.D. Oskars Java.
The Doctoral School is implemented by the project partners: Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (Latvia), Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (France), Politecnico di Torino (Italy), Riga Technical University (Latvia) and The Baltic Open Solutions Center (Latvia).
We are thrilled to announce that RTU (Latvia) PhD student Guna Jākobsone-Šnepste, who actively participates in T,ed4Lat Research Agenda, recently presented her research at the 9th International Conference on Energy Economics and Energy Policy (ICEEEP 2025), held from April 7 to 9, 202in Nice, France.
This conference united experts, researchers, energy economists, and policy professionals to discuss the latest developments and share insights. Guna’s participation in the “Changing Attitudes Toward Nuclear Energy in European Union Countries from 2009 to 2024” speech underscores her dedication and hard work in her research. It also represents a valuable opportunity to engage with peers and leaders in the energy sector.
We commend Guna for her achievements and look forward to seeing how her contributions will advance energy policy. Stay tuned for updates on her research and future endeavors!
From March 17-19, 2025, young researchers from Latvia participated in a short-term visit to INRAE, France, as part of the TED4LAT project. The visit included Lasma Ulmane-Ozolina (RTU LA), Ieva Vītoliņa (RTU), Guna Jākobsone-Šnepste (RTU), Una Krutova (RTU) and Mairita Zaķe (ViA), who engaged in discussions and collaborative activities with INRAE experts.
Key Activities and Discussions:
- March 17:
- Introduction to the short-term visit by Ieva Vītoliņa (RTU) and Guillaume Deffuant (INRAE).
- Discussions on new and upgraded e-courses, including dynamic modeling, involving PhD students and young researchers.
- Exploration of INRAE’s experience in project management through presentations.
- March 18:
- Development and upgrading of the dynamic modeling course led by Guillaume Deffuant (INRAE).
- Discussion of learning objectives for e-courses with Jean-Baptiste Pichancourt (INRAE).
- March 19:
- Review of upcoming European project calls and funding opportunities.
- Planning for a COST project, exploring collaboration topics.
- Preparation of individual COST activity plans with INRAE representatives.
This visit fostered knowledge exchange, enhanced course development, and strengthened international research collaborations within the TED4LAT framework.
Ted4Lat project team is proud to inform you that three new scientists have been accepted to the Research agenda – Svetlana Osinceva (LiepU), Roberts Volkovičs (ViA) and Madara Freimane (LiepU). Congratulations! New scientists already started to work with their advisors – Anna Carbone from POLITO and Guillaume Deffuant from INRAE.
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