ACADEMIC INFORMATION CENTRE (AKADEMISKAS INFORMACIJAS CENTRS - AIC) is a foundation established in 1994 by the Ministry of Education and Science and the Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science of the University of Latvia. The aim of AIC stated in the statutes is to ensure free movement of individuals in the field of education and employment and improve the quality of higher education by organizing the accreditation of study fields in higher education institutions and licensing of study programmes.
Since 1995 AIC has been the Latvian representative in two European recognition/information networks: ENIC (Council of Europe/UNESCO European network of recognition and Information Centres) and NARIC (EU Network of Academic Recognition Information centres) and carries out evaluation of individual foreign qualifications and diplomas; provides information on Latvian education system and Latvian higher education institutions and programmes to the ENIC and NARIC networks and other organisations involved in education.
AIC is the information institution regarding regulated professions, except transportation sector. It provides the Latvian citizens, who want to work abroad, with necessary information in the field of regulated professions; provides foreign citizens with information in the field of regulated professions; accepts applications for the acquisition of qualification recognition certificates to take up activities in regulated professions.
AIC acts as the National Europass Centre – organises the implementation and the promotion of Europass documents in Latvia and acts as the contact point for ReferNet network established by the Cedefop. The main activities of AIC include documentary activities (e.g. collecting, analysing information and providing comparable information on vocational education system and policy developments, preparing national reports).
Since 2008 AIC has been the National Coordination Point for referencing the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and coordinates further development of national qualifications framework to reference national qualifications levels the EQF.
Since 2015 AIC has taken over the function of the national higher education accreditation agency and coordinates accreditation of higher education institutions and study fields and licensing of study programmes.