Erasmus Mundus Scholarship in Service Design Strategies and Innovations

Project

The Art Academy of Latvia (AAL), in collaboration with esteemed partners, announces a groundbreaking initiative poised to reshape the landscape of higher education in service design. Through the "Joint Master's Degree Programme in Service Design Strategies and Innovations" (SDSI), the consortium aims to equip the next generation of leaders with the tools to navigate complex challenges within our evolving world.

In a pivotal milestone reached in September 2022, AAL, on behalf of the SDSI consortium, signed a grant agreement with the European Education and Culture Executive Agency for Project No. 101082388, cementing the path forward for SDSI. Commencing with the academic year 2023/2024, SDSI has officially gained recognition as an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master's programme.

In a rapidly transforming Europe, where socio-economic paradigms are undergoing profound shifts, SDSI emerges as a beacon of change. This innovative joint-degree programme brings together the Art Academy of Latvia as the coordinator partner, the University of Lapland and the Estonian Academy of Arts as full partners, and the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga as an esteemed associate academic partner. 

The programme imparts a holistic education to create versatile service innovators capable of driving transformation across public and private entities through strategic design, management, and creative leadership. SDSI's interdisciplinary curriculum fosters cross-specialization in design, business, technology, and social sciences, facilitating the emergence of graduates poised to facilitate change and contribute to socially responsible global service organizations.

Running from October 1, 2022, to November 30, 2028, the project No. 101082388 envisages four student intakes, commencing with the 2023/2024 academic year. Each intake will admit around 30 international students, with a minimum of 121 students experiencing the programme's enriching journey. Notably, the project allocates scholarships of 1400 EUR per month for the Erasmus Mundus, NDICI (Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument), or IPA (Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance) recipients among the top 81 students.

SDSI promises an immersive international experience, with students embarking on at least two study periods of 30 ECTS in countries distinct from their residence - Latvia, Finland, and Estonia. The project boasts a grant amount of 4,899,600.00 EUR, of which 2,721,600.00 EUR are dedicated to student scholarships, exemplifying the consortium's commitment to fostering academic excellence.To augment the academic experience, SDSI consortium proudly welcomes two associate partners - the Kuldīga District Municipality and the NGO “Kuldīga Artists’ Residence'' - who will enrich students' learning journey with invaluable extra-curricular and cultural experiences during their Latvian study tenure.

Student's Benefits

Each year, the top 20 students will receive the prestigious Erasmus Mundus scholarship, providing them with a monthly stipend of 1400 EUR throughout the entirety of their SDSI study programme. It is important to highlight that the allocation of these scholarships is contingent upon student geography.

Under the Grant agreement with the European Education and Culture Executive Agency for Project No. 101082388, spanning the project's 2022-2028 timeline, the SDSI programme is authorized to grant scholarships as follows: 60 scholarships for students hailing from Erasmus+ Programme Countries, 3 scholarships for students originating from Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) region countries, and 18 scholarships for students from countries falling under the Neighbourhood, Development, and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) region.

In accordance with the guidelines set forth by the Erasmus+ Programme Guide, this scholarship serves as a financial support mechanism, addressing students' travel, visa, installation, and subsistence expenses. Moreover, an all-encompassing health insurance coverage will be extended to all students, regardless of scholarship status.

Important: candidates who have already benefited from an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master (EMJM) scholarship are not eligible to apply for an additional scholarship.

Regrettably, as stipulated by the Grant agreement with the European Education and Culture Executive Agency for Project No. 101082388, the SDSI programme lacks dedicated funding for students with special needs. Nonetheless, the SDSI university partners remain steadfast in their commitment to offer comprehensive assistance to individuals requiring additional support, to the best of their capabilities.

Service Design

Services impact our daily lives as consumers, customers and citizens. We live and work in an Experience Economy in which our jobs, prosperity, and quality of life are affected by the way in which services are designed and managed. Over the past few decades, the service sector has become the largest component of the economy in the EU, currently accounting for 70% of GDP and generating 90% of jobs in the region.

Curriculum

Service Design Strategies and Innovations (SDSI) focuses on interdisciplinary studies and cross-specialisation in design, management, business and social sciences. We will help you become a versatile service innovator who can enable change in public and private organisations through strategic design, management and creative leadership.

Around 30 students will be admitted to the programme annually, enabling individual and personalised approaches to the study process and providing close networking among students and teaching personnel. 

Graduates will be awarded with master's multiple degrees: Master of Arts (Art and Design) by the University of Lapland, Master of Design by the Art Academy of Latvia, Master of Arts by the Estonian Academy of Arts, as well as a joint diploma supplement. SDSI has strong connections to industry, ensuring research, design and testing opportunities with real industry partners on study topics and projects in Latvia, Estonia and Finland.

SDSI graduates are eligible to continue pathways towards pursuing a PhD and entering the job market. 

Where will this take you?

We will equip you with the knowledge and skills to be prepared for an uncertain future. You will know how to identify and satisfy unmet needs in a wide range of sectors, such as health care, transportation, education, finance and retail. You will execute leadership roles in organisations in the private and public sectors, spearheading change processes, envisioning the future, managing multidisciplinary teams and overcoming innovation roadblocks.

Upon graduation, you will:

• Become a versatile professional with an agile mindset
• Transform existing service design concepts by integrating research-based user needs and organisational strategies
• Apply holistic approaches and user-centred design principles
• Understand social, economic, and technological contexts in which private and public services function
• Be an organisational change facilitator
• Have grown into leadership roles through experience 

Locations

The study process includes study periods abroad to Kuldīga in Latvia, Tallin in Estonia and Rovaniemi in Finland. SDSI locations are ‘safe countries’ characterised by societies striving for social and economic development, wellbeing, and culture.

Through their international offices, partner countries offer well-established networks for finding suitable student accommodations and public transport, with airports nearby. Partner countries are internationally known for the beauty of their natural resources, green forests, and the Baltic Sea, and unlimited options exist for hiking, exploring, finding peace of mind and spending quality time on your studies.