Apply now: Erasmus+ Traineeship Competition

A competition is open for Erasmus+ student and recent graduate traineeship grants. The application deadline is the 31st of January, 2024.

The placement period is from 2 to 6 months.

Selection

All VMU full-time degree students who have not used more than 10 months of their Erasmus mobility (study / traineeship) period are eligible for the Erasmus grant.

Selection documents

For student traineeship (traineeship during student’s year of studies)

Filled-in application form „Outgoing-Application for Erasmus Student Traineeship (EU countries)“
Confirmation by the company or organization (obligatory).

For recent graduate traineeship (application must be submitted during the last year of studies)

Application form „Outgoing-Application for Erasmus Recent Graduate Traineeship (EU countries)“
Confirmation by the company or organization (obligatory)
Recommendation by a faculty member (obligatory)

The priority in the selection is given to

students whom traineeship is an obligatory part of their study programme;
students who have never been Erasmus traineeship students before.

Selection criteria

student’s motivation;
good knowledge of the language which will be used during the traineeship;
student’s work, study, traineeship, participation in the international / academic projects, social activities experience in Lithuania and abroad;
conformability between the chosen traineeship and student’s study programme;
study results (first year MA students should attach transcript of records of their BA/MA degree to the application form).

The competition results will be sent to every participant via e-mail.

Competitions for Erasmus+ traineeships are taking place each month.

More information

Blended Intensive Programe for bachelor and master students „Sustainable agriculture for rural development“

Blended Intensive Programe (BIP) course for students „Sustainable agriculture for rural development“ organised by the Faculty of Bioeconomy Development on 20-24^th of November, 2023. The program aims to provide an immersive learning experience that combines face-to-face interaction with researchers and professionals with virtual learning activities.

26 students participated in this programme, including the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Estonian University of Life Sciences, the University of Life Sciences in Lublin, and the University of Palermo (Italy).

Students were introduced to the agricultural situation in the context of regional development, green accounting, potential business models for innovative ventures in the food sector, international marketing methods for agricultural food products, logistics, and supply chains during this BIP program. These and other topics were taken during the program’s discussions, and at the end of the intensive week, participants presented their ideas and projects for sustainable rural development in various thematic areas proposed by the program’s teachers.

The program was taught by 4 teachers from the Faculty of Bioeconomy Development of VMU Agricultural Academy – Prof. Dr. Vilma Atkočiūnienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Erika Besusparienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rasa Pranskūnienė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anastasija Novikova, as well as 3 teachers from Erasmus+ partner universities – Prof. Dr. Andra Zvirbule and Prof. Dr. Gunta Grīnberga Zālīte (Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies), and Dr. Anne Poder (Estonian University of Life Sciences).

An important part of the BIP program was acquainting participants with examples of the best practices. An organized visit to the Training farm of VMU Agriculture Academy allowed BIP participants to become familiar with innovative dairy cow care methods used on the farm (such as the use of sprouted grains for feeding, the application of innovative pasture grass technology, and more), which enable achieving exceptional productivity and outstanding milk quality indicators (such as low-fat content, especially low somatic cell and bacterial counts, indicating excellent cow health).

During the BIP, participants also went on an educational excursion to a 700-hectare “Farmers Circle” farm. Here, BIP participants were introduced to the principles of circular economy practiced on the farm: the production grown at “Farmers Circle” is sold at local farmers’ markets, and the farm also operates a restaurant that serves seasonal dishes made from local products. During the farm tour and local tastings of the local products, students had the opportunity to get a closer look at examples of sustainable use of resources and the practical application of sustainability ideas.

This Erasmus+ BIP program was coordinated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anastasija Novikova and the international coordinator of the VMU Agricultural Academy, Dr. Monika Medikienė.

VMU Students Among the Ten Best Lithuanian Student-Athletes in 2023

For the second year in a row, VMU student Rūta Meilutytė was named the best female athlete of the year after becoming the 2023 World Swimming Champion (50 m and 100 m breaststroke), breaking the world record, being named the best swimmer in Europe, and earning a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.

VMU 3×3 men’s basketball team became the best Lithuanian student team of 2023. Led by basketball players Nojus Lebskas, Eimantas Žilius, Augustinas Mikštas, Gabrielius Čelka and team coach Dainius Novickas, the 3×3 team became the winners of the European University Championships and the FISU University World Cup Champions.

Another VMU student, Povilas Stankūnas (rowing), was ranked 4^th among the ten Lithuanian student-athletes. He won gold at the World University Games by winning the single boat 2000 meters race.

Photo by Modestas Gailiūnas

For excellent results in the 2023 Student Championships and the SELL Student Games, the Head of the VMU Sports Centre, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vladas Juknevičius was awarded.

Photos: The Lithuanian Student Sports Association / Modestas Gailiūnas

VMU AA Christmas greeting

Together we welcome Christmas and New Year as the most meaningful time of warmth, gratitude and sharing!

We sincerely wish light, peace and creativity in the year 2024!

VMU Community’s Christmas

Every year, the anticipation of the major holidays prompts us to pause and reflect on the work accomplished, goals achieved, and dreams fulfilled over the past year. At the same time, this festive season inspires us to rejoice and appreciate the time spent with those around us. We warmly invite the university community to gather on Friday, 22 December, at 13:00, in the 2nd-floor foyer of the VMU Great Hall (S. Daukanto g. 28), to celebrate the upcoming Christmas season.

The student survey “Teaching and learning evaluation” is underway

At the end of each semester, all students of bachelor, master, integrated and professional studies are invited to share their opinion about teachers’ and their own work during the study courses. The Autumn semester survey has started at University, and it will be open until the 23^rd of December.

The link to the survey Teaching and learning evaluation can be found on the main window of the Student Portal, the survey is anonymous. Students have a possibility to follow the data on the participation in the survey as they can see the number and percentage of questionnaires received for each study course on the Student Portal.

The survey is of a summative nature, so teachers will be able to respond to students’ suggestions while preparing for the study courses of the next semesters. While the survey is ongoing, teachers can monitor the information about student participation on the Teacher Portal, and they will be able to get acquainted with students’ responses from the middle of June.

Teachers are asked to encourage students to take part in the survey Teaching and learning evaluation.

We invite you to participate actively!

VMU joined the European Network of Inclusive Universities

Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) has become the first Lithuanian university to join an international network of universities that aims to promote the international mobility of students with disabilities and increase the ability of the university community to recognise and support the diversity of individual needs.

The European Network of Inclusive Universities (EUni4All-Network) is a project whose main aim is to bring together disability-inclusive universities on one platform. The virtual space makes it easier for students with disabilities to find and choose the university they want to go to as part of their exchange. The specially designed guide evaluates universities according to accessibility criteria and provides analysed information on the accessibility of each university for people with disabilities. VMU is the first and so far, the only Lithuanian higher education institution to join this network and to be rated with the highest accessibility mark. One of the key criteria for this rating was the VMU Disability Policy, which has been confirmed and implemented at the university, and which has opened the possibility for the university to join this network of European inclusive universities.

VMU Vice-Rector of Communications, Assoc. Prof. Vilma Bijeikienė, is glad that the University has been accepted into the European Network of Inclusive Universities, which also includes our Transform4Europe partner University of Trieste. “This is an important recognition of our activities and the professionalism of our staff working on inclusion. Diversity is an asset for VMU and the community, openness, personal and academic freedom are our core values. By consistently upholding them, we are achieving great results, including better recognition and support for the individual needs of students and staff, and better international mobility for people with individual needs.”

Assoc. Prof. Vilma Bijeikienė

VMU’s joining this network is part of the University’s aim to promote better participation of people with disabilities/individual needs in international mobility programmes and increase inclusiveness and diversity at the University. “We try to create reasonable accommodations and an environment that is appropriate to the individual needs of different people, where everyone is given equal opportunities to discover their potential, obtain knowledge and get a higher education. The opportunity to join the EUni4All-Network of Inclusive Universities shows that the VMU community is on the right way toward inclusive higher education,” said Miglė Janušauskaitė, Disability Coordinator at VMU.

Miglė Janušauskaitė

The European Network of Inclusive Universities (EUni4All-Network), led by a group of European entities and universities under the ERASMUS+ programme, intends to continue to expand the network of inclusive universities and increase their visibility. The project is organised by the European Disability Forum (EDF), the ONCE Foundation for the Inclusion of people with disabilities in Spain, and universities in five countries: the University of Eastern Finland, the University of the Study of Trieste (Italy), the Polytechnic University of Lublin (Poland), the University of Porto (Portugal), and the Spanish universities of Murcia, Autonomous of Madrid, and Seville.

More about the Euni4All network of universities

Vytautas Kavolis Institute Postdoctoral Fellowships

Vytautas Kavolis Transdisciplinary Research Institute invites early career researchers to submit applications for the Junior postdoctoral fellow position for 2024 – 2025 (22 months).

The aim of the Junior postdoctoral fellowship is to enhance the scientific qualifications and method competencies of the early career researchers of social sciences and humanities, and to give them the opportunity to develop an independent academic career.

The call also aims to promote the participation and involvement of early career researchers in international infrastructures, international academic associations, platforms, and research programmes (Horizon Europe, JPICH, COST Action, etc.). It also gives them access to large-scale databases (e.g., LiData Dataverse repository, SAGE, JSTOR), which allows them to broaden the range of topics to be developed and to increase relevance.

Topics for research proposals

Sociocultural identities and transformations (more specifically, demographic processes and population research; cultural and religion studies; ethnicity and identity politics).
Resilient societies and inclusive politics (more specifically, studies on society resilience and welfare; communication processes, governance and politics).
Regional and urban transformations (more specifically, cities and regions: history, self-governance, and politics; communities and critical heritage, urban ecology and sustainability).
Datafication and digital transformations (more specifically, datafication in social processes, digital resilience and new technologies).

Important information about the position

The duration of the postdoctoral fellowship is 22 months. The start date is 1 March 2024, end date – 31 December 2025. Full-time employment contract, work guarantees included accordingly to Lithuanian employment legislation.
The application should be prepared in English.

Submission of application and documents

Applicants shall submit their documents to the V. Kavolis Institute administration by e-mail at vki@vdu.lt.
In case of any questions, please send your inquiry to vki@vdu.lt.

Important date

28 January 2024 at 5 PM (CET): call closes (last application date).

Documents

More information about the position requirements and the Call for applications is here.
Application form.
Evaluation form.

Funding

The postdoctoral fellowship is financed from the funds of the project “Strengthening the R&D activities of the Vytautas Kavolis Transdisciplinary Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities – SOCMTEP”, 2023-2027 under the programme “University Excellence Initiative” (order of the Minister of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport 03-07-2023, No. 940). Progress measure for the Science Development Programme No. 12-001-01-01-01-01 “Improving the Research and Study Environment”.

VMU Scientists Have Launched New Project “NENUPHAR”

Scientists from Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy (VMU AA) Department of Water Engineering and the Institute of Bioeconomy Research (VMU-AA), led by Professor Arvydas Povilaitis, have started a large-scale HORIZON EUROPE CL6-2022-ZEROPOLLUTION-01-02 (Clean environment and zero pollution) project NENUPHAR – “New governance models to enhance nutrient pollution handling and nutrients recycling”. The project brings together representatives from science, business, and non-governmental organizations from 21 European Union countries. The project duration is 4 years.

The excess of nutrients, especially nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P), is one major source of pollution at the EU Level, affecting soil, water, and air and having a severe impact on biodiversity in both inland waters and seas. In Europe, nutrient pollution is generated from intensive agricultural and farming activities and urban areas with high population density. At the same time, fertilizer prices soared during the second half of 2021 and they are reaching unprecedented values.

However, there is a significant untapped potential to recover and reuse N and P from the European food chain. The most promising three wastes to address are animal manure, sewage waste (mainly sludges), and food chain waste, (e.g. slaughterhouse waste). These streams imply a quantity of between 2 and 5 Mt of N and 0.6 Mt of P that are not being recovered, which represent 18-46% of the 11 Mt of mineral N currently applied to EU crops, and 43% of the 1.4 Mt of mineral-based P applied to crops. The recovery of these nutrients would address both the pollution and the high nutrient prices issue.

Therefore, the overall objective of the NENUPHAR project is to demonstrate new circular value chains addressing the recovery of N and P from three key waste streams at the EU level: animal waste, sludges, and wastewater. To this end, the project will develop new holistic governance solutions considering collaboration schemes between stakeholders, processes for N/P recovery, revised regulatory and financial instruments, and tools for stream monitoring and control. These solutions will be demonstrated in the Ebro (Spain), Danube (Hungary and Slovakia), and Lielupė (Latvia and Lithuania) river basins ensuring their European-wide representation. Moreover, two action plans for the replication of the project results and insights will be developed for the islands of Bornholm (Denmark), and Cyprus.

Join the 4th International Scientific Conference on Sustainable Bioeconomy Development

The 4th International Scientific Conference, “Sustainable Bioeconomy Development 2024: Theory and Practice” is on the horizon, and we extend a warm invitation for you to join this pivotal gathering that is set to redefine the global landscape of social sciences in bioeconomy field.

After the resounding success of our previous conference, where leaders, researchers, and industry practitioners gathered to explore the intricacies of sustainable bioeconomy development, we are excited to announce our upcoming event.

Conference Overview: Date: May 8, 2024

Location: Online

Topics of Scientific Discussions will cover a diverse range of themes crucial to the advancement of sustainable bioeconomy:

Bioeconomy Contribution to the European Green Deal
Role of Innovative, Sustainable, and Inclusive Bioeconomy in the Development of Rural Areas
Logistics and Marketing of Biological Resources and Bioproducts
Innovative Business Solutions in the Bioeconomy

The special Focus Session of the conference will host a dedicated theory and practice synergy session on “Territorial Circular Systemic Solutions for Sustainable Bioeconomy Development,” providing a platform for profound discussions and collaborative exploration of innovative strategies.

The 4th International Scientific Conference, “Sustainable Bioeconomy Development 2024: Theory and Practice” offers an influential platform to engage with cutting-edge research findings, evolving policy landscapes, and industry trends shaping the global bioeconomy. It’s an opportunity to network with diverse perspectives, foster collaborations, and ignite innovative solutions for sustainable bioeconomic development.

Secure your spot at this dynamic gathering by registering for the conference scheduled on May 8, 2024. Take part in an event that nurtures learning, fosters networking, and drives actionable insights toward positive change in the bioeconomy landscape.

Registration is required. Visit our website https://sbd.vdu.lt to register and secure your place at the forefront of sustainable bioeconomy innovation.

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

Join us in shaping the future of sustainable bioeconomy development.

Warm regards,

Representing the Organizing Committee of the International Scientific Conference on “Sustainable Bioeconomy Development”