Deimena, Author at VDU Žemės ūkio akademija | Page 14 of 22

VMU Will Hold Graduation Ceremonies

On 21-23 June, Vytautas Magnus University will be holding its graduation ceremonies, bidding farewell to the university’s latest graduates.

On 21 June, diplomas will be awarded to the graduates of the faculties of Economics and Management, Law, and VMU Education Academy (in Kaunas). Additional ceremonies will also be held on the same day for the graduates of VMU Music Academy and Agriculture Academy (faculties of Agricultural Engineering, Agronomy and Forest Sciences and Ecology).

On 22 June, the university will send off alumni of the faculties of Natural Sciences, Informatics, Political Science and Diplomacy, and Catholic Theology. Additional ceremonies will also be held on the same day for the graduates of VMU Agriculture Academy (faculties of Bioeconomy Development and Water and Land Management).

On the final day, ceremonies will be dedicated to the graduates of the faculties of Social Sciences, Arts, the Humanities and VMU Education Academy in Vilnius.

Regrettably, the celebration will not be open to everyone, the way it was before. Taking into account the quarantine situation declared in the entire country due to the threat of the spread of COVID-19, to ensure the safety of the university’s community and their relatives, this year VMU graduate ceremonies will be a bit different than usual.

Vytautas Magnus University’s diplomas will be awarded to the graduates in VMU spaces. However, relatives and friends will be able to congratulate and take pictures with the new alumni outside. They will be able to watch the diploma award ceremony itself live at vdu.lt/graduation on their smartphones and other devices.

Due to the strict requirements of the appropriate disinfection and preparation of academic dress (gowns) for their continued safe use, we will not be able to provide them for all VMU graduates. Therefore, it has been decided that gowns will be worn only by the university’s bachelor’s degree graduates, who will celebrate their first-ever academic graduation ceremony.

We encourage all graduates to bring personal protective equipment. All participants of the graduation ceremony are required to wear medical masks or respirators.

We hope to see you soon at this milestone event, where everyone is filled with joy and a sense of pride after successfully completing an important stage of their lives.

Nevertheless, the graduates who are unable to attend the graduation ceremony will be able to receive their diploma at their faculty (in five workdays after the ceremony), or at the Department of Studies (after this time period ends).

VMU GREAT HALL | S. DAUKANTO G. 28, KAUNAS

9:30 a.m. Graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Economics and Management (BA)

12 p.m. Graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Economics and Management (MA)

2:30 p.m. Graduation ceremony of VMU Education Academy in Kaunas

4:30 p.m. Graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Law

 

VMU MUSIC ACADEMY | V. ČEPINSKIO G. 5, KAUNAS

11 a.m. Graduation ceremony of Music Academy

 

FESTIVE HALL OF VMU AGRICULTURE ACADEMY | STUDENTŲ G. 11, AKADEMIJA, KAUNO R.

9:30 a.m. Graduation ceremony of the AA Faculty of Agricultural Engineering

11:30 p.m. Graduation ceremony of the AA Faculty of Agronomy (BA of Agronomy and MA of Agronomy)

2 p.m. Graduation ceremony of the AA Faculty of Forest Sciences and Ecology

4:30 p.m. Graduation ceremony of the AA Faculty of Agronomy

  • BA: Management of Biological Systems, Landscape Design, Quality and Safety of Food
  • MA: Quality and Safety of Food Plant Raw Materials

VMU GREAT HALL | S. DAUKANTO G. 28, KAUNAS

9:30 a.m. Graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Natural Sciences

12 p.m. Graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Informatics

2:30 p.m. Graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Politics and Diplomacy

 

VMU AULA MAGNA | GIMNAZIJOS G. 7, KAUNAS

12 p.m. Graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Catholic Theology

 

FESTIVE HALL OF VMU AGRICULTURE ACADEMY | STUDENTŲ G. 11, AKADEMIJA, KAUNO R.

11:30 p.m. Graduation ceremony of the AA Faculty of Water and Land Management

2 p.m. Graduation ceremony of the AA Faculty of Bioeconomy Development

Wednesday 23 June

VMU GREAT HALL | S. DAUKANTO G. 28, KAUNAS

9:30 a.m. Graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Social Sciences

12 p.m. Graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Arts

2:30 a.m. Graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Humanities

  • BA: Cultures and Languages of East Asian Countries, Cultures and Languages of Scandinavian Countries, History, Philosophy
  • MA: Comparative Cultural Studies, East Asia Region Studies, East-Central European and Lithuanian Historical Studies, Practical Philosophy

4:30 p.m. Graduation ceremony of the Faculty of Humanities

  • BA: English Philology, English and German Philology, Italian Studies and Romance Languages, Language and Culture of Francophone Countries, Lithuanian Philology and Publishing, German language and communication
  • MA: Applied English Linguistics, Literature and Press, Modern Linguistics, Sociolinguistics and Multilingualism

 

VMU EDUCATION ACADEMY | T. ŠEVČENKOS G. 31, VILNIUS

10 a.m. Graduation ceremony of VMU Education Academy in Vilnius

  • BA: English philology and another language, English philology, Pedagogy of geography and history, Early Childhood and Pre-primary Education, History and Ethics Pedagogy, Career Management, Polish philology, Lithuanian philology, Music Pedagogy, Primary Education, Education and Information Technologies.
  • MA: Inclusive Education: Socio-Educational Industries

12:30 p.m. Graduation ceremony of VMU Education Academy in Vilnius

  • Pedagogy of Physical Culture (BA), Psychology (BA), Social Pedagogy, (BA) Pedagogy (vocational studies), and part-time studies of the winter session)

 

Online Summer University 2021

Online Summer University 2021 with the title “Europe and the (Post) COVID-19 World” taking place at the Institute of International Studies, Charles University Prague, Czech Republic. This online course will be launched from September 13 to September 17, 2021.

The Online Summer University 2021 organised by the Institute of International Studies of Charles University Prague will provide students with a broad understanding of the most significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on international relations and Europe. The key objective is to analyse how Europe’s prospects are currently being shaped in a time of profound global socio-political change, and the context for a future post-coronavirus restart. During the course, students will improve their research, communication, and argumentation skills and learn how to use them in the online environment. The online course’s interdisciplinary approach combines teaching methods such as:

  • live online lectures
  • group discussions and projects
  • individual assignments
  • independent research

This study programme is internationally acknowledged. Successful participants will be given 2 or 4 ECTS credits, depending on their work extent. For detailed information, please see the attached flyer

The application deadline is August 29, 2021. Earlier applications have better chances of admission.

More information

International conference “Priorities of Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex in the Conditions of Digitization and Structural Changes of National Economy”

On May 26-28, 2021 an international conference “Priorities of Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex in the Conditions of Digitization and Structural Changes of National Economy” was held at the St. Petersburg State Agrarian University (Russia). The conference was dedicated to the Year of Science and Technology. The conference was opened by Vitaly Morozov, Rector of St. Petersburg State Agrarian University. At the plenary session of this conference, the Chancellor of Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy prof. dr. Astrida Miceikienė made a presentation “An Assessment of the Factors Affecting Environmental Pollution in Agriculture in EU Countries”. The other presenters of the plenary session were veterinary, plant protection, agricultural and forestry specialists from Russia, China and Austria. Further discussions took place in sections in live and remote formats.

Read more…

Enriched products are the food of the future

Researchers at the Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy, conducting research, have found that corn chips enriched with tomato or beet flour acquire much more health-promoting properties, and oatmeal cookies enriched with cranberry seeds are a source of protein, high in unsaturated fats and fiber.

“Tomato flour contains significant amounts of lycopene and β-carotene. Our aim was to find out whether the combination of this product with other ingredients will also have health-promoting properties,” says Dr. Elvyra Jarienė, Professor of the Faculty of Agronomy of the Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy.

The research team decided to enrich corn chips with tomato flour, in which neither lycopene nor β-carotene is normally detected.

“And we got great results,” says E. Jarienė. “The main value of tomatoes is that they contain a special carotenoid – lycopene. It is a unique natural remedy for many diseases, and especially for prostate, lung and stomach cancer”.

A significant concentration of bioactive pigments betalains is found in corn chips flavored with different ingredient – beetroot flour. They have a strong antioxidant effect, which helps protect against free radical damage.

Among the valuable products from which flour, chips or snacks can be made, scientists have classified various types of pumpkin and Jerusalem artichokes. The latter, due to the harvest obtained twice a season and the naturally sweeter taste, should also be of interest to people who see new business opportunities.

After summarizing the results of the research conducted together with the co-authors, Prof. Dr. E. Jarienė and Assoc. Prof. Dr. A. Paulauskienė presented a report on the inclusion of biologically valuable products in family nutrition at the “Forum of the Future of Regions”.

The renewed nutrition pyramid, according to them, pays special attention to water, vegetables, greens, whole grains, legumes. Meanwhile, products of animal origin should account for only 20 per cent of total food consumption per day. Lithuanian, organic, with less salt and no added sugar – these keywords are recommended by scientists when choosing products.

“We conducted the research together with the students of the Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy, and we offered to produce some products for both farmers and business representatives,” says E. Jarienė.

According to her, consumers are already reading labels more carefully, searching for products that are more useful to health, so there is no doubt that the food of the future will be more healthy. Researchers are also taking this into account when looking for new combinations of different products.

VMU hosted an international conference about sustainable development of bioeconomy

On May 20-21, the second online conference Sustainable Bioeconomy Development 2021: Adaptation to Climate Change took place in Vytautas Magnus University (VMU). The event was organised by the Faculty of Bioeconomy Development of VMU Agriculture Academy in cooperation with the Faculty of Economics and Social Development of Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies. The plenary and panel discussions and seminars welcomed the experts of social sciences from Azerbaijan, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Nigeria, the Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, and Slovakia.

This diversity of participants once again demonstrates the urgent need to find sustainable solutions for the development of the bioeconomy, so it can better adapt for the response to climate change and the challenges related to it. The conference sought to answer the questions of why it is necessary for everyone who uses the natural resources to be socially responsible, understand the importance of the bioeconomic processes and choose the most sustainable solutions. Moreover, it also raised questions why, in the light of global trends and guidelines, it is always of the utmost importance to consider the local context first, and to look for the ways to improve the conditions in it. One of the most important sponsors of the conference, a representative of the society that sees the importance of the bioeconomic processes and directly experiences their changes – the Lithuanian Rural Network, also significantly contributed to the search for these answers (LRN; Project No. PLKT-KK-20-1-01801-PR001, the measure is financed in accordance with the activity area “Lithuanian Rural Network” of the measure “Technical Assistance” of the Lithuanian Rural Development Program 2014–2020. The project is supported by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the budget of the Republic of Lithuania).

According to the participants of the conference, in order to properly implement the objectives of the European Union’s Green Course Strategy, this topic is extremely relevant on the local and global levels. The European Union’s goal for 2050 to ensure the climate neutrality can only be achieved through major complex changes of the European society and the economy. An unprecedented 30% of the EU budget is dedicated to combating climate change. Thus, in response to these globally pressing problems, it is essential that these processes are cost-effective, balanced and fair from the social perspective. This highlights the need to share the best practices from around the world and to analyze such topics as policy and public investment in bioeconomy research, consumer and producer behavior in the context of climate change, business and place models for the circular bioeconomy or accelerating the bioeconomy through investment and financial decisions.

When welcoming the participants of the conference, VMU Rector Prof. Dr. Juozas Augutis noted that looking for sustainable ways to use limited resources, it becomes clear that the importance of this conference reaches beyond the academic interests. Prof. Dr. Irina Pilvere, Rector of Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, noted that changes must start from knowledge and cooperation. According to Prof. Dr. Astrida Miceikienė, Chancellor of VMU Agriculture Academy, not only the developers of the bioeconomy and agricultural sectors, but also each of us must contribute to sustainable, resource-efficient solutions, and better understanding how food reaches our table, and what agricultural systems can be the most sustainable, especially in Lithuania, where agriculture plays a major role in the economy.

“Science can use the fact-based knowledge basis to meet the big ambition of the Green Deal in Europe,” claims Dr. Martin C. Th. Scholten, a scientist from Wageningen University & Research, during the plenary presentation about the system of food resistant to the effect of climate change and its importance in the future. The researcher shared insights on the versatility and adaptability of the bioeconomy addressing the challenges of climate change, helping farmers to adapt to the climate change, ways to sustainably increase the agricultural production and income from this sector, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sustainably use extremely limited resources. Dr. Scholten also pointed out that each of us leaves an ecological footprint, and spoke about the ways to avoid wasting resources and the promotion of recycling and reusing resources. “We have one planet to resource the food production,” reminded Dr. Scholten. According to the scientist, this topic is highly relevant not only globally, but especially in countries like Lithuania, the Netherlands and Latvia, where agriculture makes up an inportant part of the economy.

Dr. Gerald Schwarz, a researcher from Thünen Institute with 15 years of experience in agroecology and rural policy analysis, spoke about the transitions in the field of agroecology. The researcher identified the links between the conventional agriculture and organic farming, initiatives addressing the question how to produce sufficient public goods in agriculture, while supporting the development of private goods that ensure economic and social sustainability on the farm level. He emphasized the importance of increasing agricultural productivity on small family farms that are not overly dependent on the public support, and of replacing inefficient practices with more efficient, agro-ecological ones, ensuring greater involvement of farmers and end-users of these goods in the system, raising their awareness and understanding the food path from farm to fork already at school. The researcher also noted the importance of lifelong learning to ensure the sustainability of the entire agricultural and food system and the preservation of biodiversity, using best agro-ecological practices in different countries, as well as to promote conscious and active involvement of local agriculture and related participants of the system.

During the first day of the conference, the parallel sessions featured comprehensive and in-depth discussions of questions related to the bioeconomy-focused research of various policies, public investment and the financing thereof. In this session, a great part of the presentations addressed the tax policies. Researchers discussed how tax instruments can contribute to the promotion of the bioeconomy, the introduction of CO2 and other taxes related to technological progress, which directly contribute to the mitigation of climate change effects. The discussion dealt with food security issues in African countries, as well as how to find the optimal crop production model by assessing the emissions generated, the condition of the soil and other environmental aspects. Other topics discussed included the case of Latvia and the activities of the support for food producers, as well as the price of certification that promotes the development of organic products and how to insure the smooth course of this process. Participants also discussed the generation of animal waste, shared good practices on how waste generation can be reduced, and how various types of waste can be utilized by changing technological processes and at the same time saving energy resources.

A broad scope of topics discussed during the parallel sessions also covered the areas like the production of renewable energy sources (wind, water, solar power) and the impact of national policies on the changes in energy products, national economic development, regional socio-economic development, and reduction of energy costs. The session also featured introduction on some really interesting projects like the bioeconomy platform dedicated to deepen one’s knowledge in various areas of bioeconomy, and follow important solutions of the local government in terms of the development of green and blue areas. Researchers introduced the best practices and provided insights on how the environmental design should be developed to meet the goals of bioeconomy.

The second day of the conference started with an expert discussion on the initiatives related to the European Green Deal. Researchers from Lithuanian and foreign universities as well as the representatives from Lithuanian and foreign businesses looking for sustainable and innovative solutions shared ideas and analyzed how the fuel, fertilizer and plastics sectors could be (and already are) contributing to tackling climate change in Europe and around the world. Dr. Vincent Eijsink, Professor of the Faculty of Chemistry, Biotechnology and Food Science at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, introduced his research field of industrial biotechnology and the biofuel as its part, as well as further research prospects in this field. According to the researcher, the current research in Europe has great potential to contribute to sustainable, bio-based solutions and is globally competitive. Ahto Oja, Member of the Board of “Balti Biometaan”, shared his insights about the positive environmental impact of using biomethane as an alternative to conventional fuels and the obstacles to the development of the sector, such as the poor knowledge of the public and policy makers about the benefits of using biomethane. Dr. Audrius Gegeckas, Head of R&D Department at “Bioenergy LT”, presented holistic and sustainable high biotechnology solutions that can ensure high yields and maintain biological soil activity, the importance of plant biostimulants and operational guidelines in line with the goals of the European Commission’s “Farm to Fork” strategy. Dr. Gustaf Forsberg, a representative of the Swedish company “ThermoSeed Global” spoke about innovative and highly efficient and environmentally friendly seed processing technology. Dr. Inga Matijošytė, Senior Researcher and Head of Applied Biocatalysis Sector at the Institute of Biotechnology of Vilnius University Life Sciences Centre presented the trends, future possibilities, benefits and the importance of bioplastics production and the use thereof in the pursuit of sustainable solutions. The session was closed by Dr. Irena Vitkauskienė, Business Development Consultant at “Plastiksė”, who presented the trends of plastic use from the business perspective.

During the second part of the plenary session, Dr. Ants-Hannes Viira, Director of the Institute of Economics and Social Sciences at the Estonian University of Life Sciences, introduced research on the good practice business models for sustainable bioeconomy development in the Baltic Sea Region. This presentation provided a detailed analysis of bioeconomy business models that allow self-assessment of the current situation and opportunities to develop sustainable and innovative bioeconomy business in the context of the circular production.

The last part of the conference, the Friday afternoon session, welcomed the scientists from Poland, Lithuania and Azerbaijan. Their presentations shed light on the currently pressing issues: the impact of corporate social responsibility on employee behavior, as well as the results of research on young people’s motivation to work in the agricultural sector and the social dimension of short food supply chains. Most of the presentations focused on analyzing consumer attitudes in the context of climate change, towards the environment, biodiversity and other ecosystem services and the use of renewable energy sources. It has been observed that the interest of scientists in the economic assessment of the environment in the context of consumer and producer behavior opens up new research opportunities.

In the third section of the conference dealing with the business and place models for the circular economy, participants actively discussed such relevant aspects of the circular bioeconomy as food supply chains, business and science models, climate change, business and science success stories from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Nigeria and other countries.

The variety of presentations delivered during the two-day conference and the interdisciplinary discussions of experts from different fields perfectly reveal the potential of the bioeconomy in finding sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. It has also become an excellent platform for exploring new synergies and cooperation opportunities between business, science, politicians and other stakeholders. The importance of communicating these processes to all groups of the society and their involvement in the ongoing changes, as well as the need for continuity of this dialogue, have also been emphasised as well.

The workshop “Food Systems: My Power in Enhancing Sustainable Consumption” which concluded the conference received a lot of attention from the participants. It included stimulating discussions about the local food, local food chains and responsible consumption. The workshop started with a presentation by Prof. Dr. Vilma Atkočiūnienė on food systems and sustainable consumption in the future, followed by various interactive tasks that connected the theoretical knowledge of participants with their practical skills. When completing the tasks, participants explored the origins of their commonly used food products, calculated the “food miles”, considered their own relationship with the consumption of local products and what can be done by every one of us for the sake of sustainable consumption. The active involvement of foreign participants carrying out the tasks enabled a comprehensive analysis of a variety of questions related to sustainable food consumptions and issues related to it.

Scholarship Competition for the Most Active Students of VMU

Since 2016, Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) in cooperation with UAB “Intermedix Lietuva” has established seven one-time scholarships of 200 EUR which are awarded for the final-year students of the 1st and 2nd cycle of the full-time study form or integrated studies.

Scholarships are offered for students with higher academic achievements (total grades average, except for final semester, must be 9 or higher), with a priority for students with higher grades average, and strong involvement in social and public activities within the university and outside of it.

Students who meet the above criteria and wish to participate in the competition to receive a scholarship, by June 1st,2021, (Tuesday) must submit a completed standardized list of printed or accepted publications and information about other student’s scientific or artistic activities in order to receive a scholarship by sending it to e-mail studentas@vdu.lt and indicating in the email, that it is the application for the final-year scholarship competition for scientific (artistic) activities.

Scholarships will be awarded to the best students in the following fields of studies:

  • 1 scholarship – Humanities;
  • 1 scholarship – Arts;
  • 1 scholarship – Engineering, Technology and Agriculture Sciences;
  • 1 scholarship – Educational Sciences;
  • 1 scholarship – Mathematics, Informatics, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences.

For more information on study programmes and fields of studies, please visit this link.

The decision regarding the awarding of the scholarships will be made by a commission, which will consist of representatives of Vytautas Magnus University. In the absence of appropriate candidates in a specific field of studies, scholarship may be reallocated to other fields of studies.

„R1 Lietuva“ scholarships will be awarded by the end of the spring semester of the 2021 academic year.

More information:

  • VMU Student Centre
  • AddressS. Daukanto g. 27-206, Kaunas
  • Phone+370 37 751 175
  • E-mailstudentas@vdu.lt

Contest for Teaching and Training Visits under Erasmus+ programme

Contest for Teaching and Training visits under Erasmus+ Programme in Programme countries (EU/EEA) and Partnership countries (non-EU/EEA) for 2021-2022 autumn semester is open.

Aim of a teaching visit is to read lectures for students of a foreign university and encourage them to come to Vytautas Magnus University for Erasmus+ studies.

The main aim of staff mobility training visits is professional development of university’s academic and non-academic staff through participation in training events (except conferences) and internships (work shadowing, participating in training activities) that take place in foreign institutions (higher education institutions, organisations and enterprises).

Currently open contests:

All VMU teachers and employees can apply for mobility visits until 9th of June. More information about selection criteria and application requirements could be found in the description of mentioned contests.

Results of the call will be personally emailed to the participants until 25th of June.

More information available at the International Cooperation Department: erasmus@vdu.lt.

The student survey “Teaching and learning evaluation” is underway

The University has launched the student survey Teaching and learning evaluation in 2021 spring semester. In the end of each semester all the students of bachelor, master, integrated and professional studies are invited to share an opinion about teachers and their own work during the semester study subjects. The survey is anonymous!

In order to enhance the objectivity of evaluation, the survey is open until the 23rd of May, i. e. by the main examination session. Teachers will be able to observe the results related to their courses in the middle of June. This choice was initiated in order to increase the objectivity of the survey results:

  1. students could present their opinion (which would not have been influenced by the final assessment of the study subject) on teaching and studying more objectively;
  2. at the end of teaching the study subject and organising the final assessment, the opinion of the students expressed in the survey would not affect the teachers.

The survey is of a general nature, so teachers can respond to students’ suggestions in preparation for the next semester’s study subjects.

The opinion expressed in the survey is significant for making decisions of study quality. Students are invited to dedicate their time and participate in the survey – to give an opinion and thus contribute to the improvement of the quality of studies. Please be active and complete the questionnaire in the student self-service portal.

Teachers are asked to encourage students to participate in the survey Teaching and learning evaluation. When the results of the survey are available, we will invite you to take into account the provided students’ opinion and to introduce other students with the decisions made in the first classes of study subjects.

In order to achieve the quality of studies, we invite you to be conscious, social and active!

More information:

  • VMU Study Quality Unit
  • Emailkokybe@vdu.lt

Short summary of the hackathon HACK DigitalSea’2

HACK DigitalSea’21 is an international online hackathon focusing on sea-related challenges and plant-based seafood. A two-day hackathon will take place on June 26-27. Three leading teams will be selected for the last phase and presented with a unique opportunity to pitch their solutions to participants of the Digital Sea Conference 2021 by the EC Marine Day in Lithuania on July 8.

The strategic approach of HACK DigitalSea’21 is based on 4 key objectives:

  1. Supporting international and cross-sectorial teams of experienced or beginner innovators working on solutions related to the aquaculture sector;
  2. Involving a wide range of local and international aquaculture sector stakeholders to shape project outcomes in line with market and end-user needs;
  3. Maximizing dissemination and exposure of solutions developed during the event to end-users and other stakeholders;
  4. Attracting additional support and investment for teams and their solutions developed during the

The challenges will be formulated in close cooperation and consultancy with aquaculture sector companies based on the objectives of the EU twin transition and EIT FOOD. Internationally recognized mentors with extensive expertise in businesses management, aquaculture sector, digital technologies and innovation will deliver mentorship to teams participating in the hackathon.

All final pitches and solutions presented will be evaluated by a jury of internationally recognized experts from technology and business domains, as well as representatives of key aquaculture sector stakeholders. Every jury member will individually score every hackathon team, according to the criteria of Relevance, Novelty, Feasibility and Impact.

Team registration and selection phase – from May 17th to June 20th.

DRAFT OF AGENDA:

First day

10:00 – 10:30 Kick-off

10:30 – 12:00 Experts guide teams

12:15 – 13:15 Webinar (Creative thinking)

17:00 – 18:00 Mentors review ideas

18:15 – 19:00 Webinar (Entertainment theme)

Second day:

09:30 – 10:00 Webinar

10:00 – 12:00 OpenDesk Mentorship

12:00 – 12:45 Webinar (How to build a perfect elevator pitch)

13:00 – 14:00 OpenDesk Mentorship

16:00 Pitch Registration Deadline

16:20 – 17:20 Teams present ideas

18:00 Nominations

Conference DIGITAL SEA: challenges and opportunities of collection marine big data in the face of twin transition – digitalization and Green Deal

Summary of the conference DIGITAL SEA: challenges and opportunities of collection marine big data in the face of twin transition – digitalization and Green Deal

July 8

Why is this conference useful?

The European Green Deal is a roadmap for making Europe’s economy sustainable.  The roadmap provides actions to move to a clean and circular economy, become climate-neutral by 2050, stop biodiversity loss, and minimize pollution. It aims to turn the challenges of climate change and environmental degradation into opportunities across all policy areas. Digitalization brings disruptive force that is changing the landscape like no other.  Marine and aquaculture is no exception. Today’s marine sector is not just being driven to transform to meet the demands of digital. With the recent wave of disruption that has left many in its wake, marine now frequently find itself competing with players outside it’s own industry.

The identification and analyzing the possibility to create pilot testing of the most efficient solutions. It is important to find the solutions and create pilots that should cover the  whole  knowledge  value  chain, from data  acquisition  (from multiple sources: research, monitoring, industrial and citizen data) to users’ services.

Who will attend this conference?

Potential participants of the conference: the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius, the Minister of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania, the Minister of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Lithuania, the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Lithuania, representatives of the Ministry of National Defense, top-level stakeholders of state institutions, well-known scientists and managers of the largest business companies directly related to the aquaculture sector, innovators creating digital solutions.

If international partners join the event, international speakers suggested by partners will be invited.

Venue and publicity of the conference?

The conference with up to 80 invited guests will take place on the ferry in the Port of Klaipeda. It will be broadcast online. There will be an intensive communication of the event, its agenda and discussed solutions in the national media.

The main topics of the conference?

This conference explores how big data and artificial intelligence applications in marine science can support priority actions of the European Green Deal including marine spatial planning, marine renewable energy, and the impact of climate change on fisheries.

Draft of the Agenda of July 8th

11:00-11.02 Opening of the Conference

Greetings and guidance from the moderator

11:02-11:20 Welcome speech

Virginijus Sinkevicius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries

11:20 – 11:35 KeyNote

Kristina Semuksnyte-Alesiuniene, Director at AgriFood Lithuania DIH

11:35 – 11:55 Presentation

Simonas Gentvilas, Minister of Environment

11:55-12:15 Presentation

Marius Skuodis, Minister of Transport and Communications

12:15-13:15 Discussion

Participated by:

Marius Skuodis, Minister of Transport and Communications

CEO of Port Klaipeda

CEO of JSC Klaipeda Container Terminal

Vytautas Grubliauskas, Mayor of Klaipeda

13:15-13:30 Coffee break / Networking

13:30 – 13:45 Presentation

Arvydas Anusauskas, Minister of National Defense

13:45-14:00 Change makers: Final of the online hackathon HACK DigitalSea’21

Nominee team presentations and award ceremony

15:00-16:00 Closing ceremony

*The participation of all the participants mentioned is still being discussed.

*If international partners join the event, international speakers suggested by partners will be invited.