International scientific-practice conference “Human and Nature Safety 2023”

We are delighted to invite You to participate in the 29th international scientific-practice conference “Human and Nature Safety 2023″ organized by Vytautas Magnus University which will be held on 10-12 May, 2023. Conference “Human and Nature Safety” is organized annually on occasion of the International Days of Health, Environmental Protection and Occupational Safety & Health.

The aim of the conference is to discuss interrelated problems of human health and safety, the development of various technological innovations, environmental issues, to disseminate state-of-the-art research knowledge and to create opportunities for scientists and young researchers to share the research results not only among researchers and students, but also for professionals in agriculture and forestry, environmental and health sciences and other fields emphasizing the importance of human safety and environmental protection.

Conference sections:

Biosystem Engineering (11^th May):
dedicated to the 95^th anniversary of the Agricultural Engineering Department (1928-2023)

– technical and technological innovation for sustainable production;
– precision engineering technologies and environmental protection;
– technology safety, occupational risk, ergonomics;
– Water engineering.

Environment and Health (10^th May):
dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the VMU Botanical Garden (1923-2023)

– research of risk factors in living environment and their effects on human health;
– conservation, research, rational and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Ecology, Sustainable Forestry (11^th May):
– environmental research of agro, hydro and forestry ecosystems;
– sustainable development, protected areas, environmental impact of human activities;
– silviculture, forest protection and multi-purpose use, recreational forestry;
– hunting research, management of wild animal populations.

Conference seminars:

Value of Medicinal (Aromatic) Plants in Traditional, Scientific and Applied Aspects (10^th May);
Human for Nature, Nature for Human: the Experience of Dzūkija National Park (12^th May).

Registration to the conference is active till 17^th, February, 2023.

The submission deadline for scientific articles is 10^th, March. Scientific articles will be published in the selected papers of the International Scientific-Practice Conference “Human and Nature Safety”, indexed in the Central & Eastern European Academic Source (EBSCO) database.

Contacts:

Vytautas Magnus University
Studentų street 15a-204, LT-53362, Akademija, Kaunas district

Chairperson of the organizing committee

Gediminas Vasiliauskas

Phone +370 689 77015

Conference administrator

Nijolė Poškienė

Phone +370 37 752357

Conference e-mail: zmogaus.sauga@vdu.lt

More information

Conference events might be filmed and / or photographed and you can be seen in the photos or videos of the event, which can be posted on various media.

Erasmus+ Traineeship Competition 2022-2023. Turn an adventure into an experience!

A competition is open for Erasmus+ student or recent graduate traineeship grants. Application deadline is the 31st of January, 2023.

The placement period is from 2 to 6 months. Recent graduate traineeship must end – in a year after graduation.

Selection

All VMU fulltime 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).

Documents must be submitted online.

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 will take place each month until June 2023.

More information

Greetings from VMU Agriculture Academy. Happy and hopeful holidays!

Dear community,

This period is a great time to give a thanks for the gift of friendship, to celebrate the dreams came true and the work done in cooperation. We wish everyone to cherish and grow what we have and light up a bright, peaceful and creative future!

The European Green Deal is Affecting More and More Organizations. Changes in Customs

The action plan of European Green Deal is gaining momentum, more and more organizations have to rethink and review their operational processes, adapt to current and future changes. Associated professors of the Faculty of Bioeconomy Development of Vytautas Magnus university Agriculture Academy (VMU AA) were invited to discuss these changes at the 7th Conference of the Customs Practice Association.

Assoc. prof. dr. Erika Besusparienė on December 8 attended at the 7th conference of the Customs Practice Association, she made a presentation “The European Green Deal: Challenges and Opportunities”, which has been prepared together with colleague assoc. prof. dr. Milita Vienažindienė. The researchers presented several key actions of the European Green Deal, which will directly affect companies importing goods, logistics companies, customs brokers, customs and the consumer of imported goods.

Assoc. prof. dr. M. Viežindiene noted that logistics companies will face new challenges in the product supply chain due to the reduction of CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars and new vans, which by 2030 must be reduced to 50%, and in 2035 – 100%. “This progress can only be achieved by ensuring alternative fuels and evaluating the amount of CO₂ emitted by vehicles, so the European Commission by 2025 must develop a common European Union (EU) methodology for the evaluation of CO₂ emissions throughout the life cycle of passenger cars and vans”, – commented assoc. prof. dr. M. Vienažindienė. Assoc. prof. dr. E. Besusparienė noticed that supply costs are often “hidden costs” in the value of goods, so it is difficult to predict how much the value of goods would increase as a result of transporting goods using alternative fuels.

Assoc. prof. dr. E. Besusparienė singled out the new CO₂ tax, which is named as a carbon border adjustment mechanism in the European Green Course. “The first steps towards the introduction of the tax are already starting from January 1, 2023. The new CO₂ tax will initially affect imports of cement, steel and iron, aluminium, fertilizers and electricity. The CO₂ tax will be applied from 2026 and with the complete abandonment of pollution permits from 2030 only this tax would remain. According to the calculations of the European Commission, the EU budget would be replenished by about 1 billion euros on average every year (2026-2030) due to this tax. Thus, the costs to the business would increase in the same volume. Although the carbon border tax mechanism is designed to prevent that polluting goods would not enter the EU market; and thereby indirectly contribute to third countries’ transformation to more sustainable production. Unfortunately, the market often observes that “green” goods cost more”, – commented assoc. prof. dr. E. Besusprienė.

While participating in the discussion “Green economy, current issues of tariff classification”, assoc. prof. dr. E. Besusparienė noted that the successful development of a circular economy requires the involvement and cooperation of business, government and higher education and study institutions. Assoc. prof. dr. E. Besusparienė, together with the moderator of the discussion Milda Stravinske, discussed that exists false stereotype that the green economy is far from the customs area. To this day, it is being discussed about importing waste and its value, does it differ, if the waste will be utilized or processed. According to accounting theories, when pricing is determined by the cost-plus method, the value of the waste may be the same regardless of further use. However, when discussing the transaction method, which is based on negotiations, different values can be agreed, where the price (value) of the waste to be utilized will be lower (the seller tends to get rid of the waste faster) and the waste that can be used according to the principles of the circular economy will be more valuable and it is assumed that the price (value) will be higher. This is directly related to the customs assessment of goods (in this case, waste) and the calculation of taxes paid to customs. UAB “Muita” head of the customs compliance department Jurgita Stanienė, who participated in the discussion, noted that new challenge is how to classify such imported waste.

The 7th Customs Practice Association conference further revealed the intertwining of various fields and how important it is for representatives of different businesses to reorient themselves in new changes in order to achieve a more sustainable future.

Moments of the 7th Customs Practice Association conference:

VMU AA researchers participated in the Erasmus+ project “Medical beekeeping – for beekeepers” (MEDI-BEEB) in Italy

Honey, propolis, pollen, royal jelly, beeswax, venom, and other bee products are extremely beneficial to human health. These products, however, must be produced in a safe and proper manner. The Erasmus+ project “Medical beekeeping – for beekeepers” (MEDI-BEEB) addresses these issues. Adnan Menderes University (Turkey) is the project coordinator. Project partners include the Confederation of Italian Farmers of Umbria, Onsekiz Mart University of Cenakale, Wroclaw University of Environment and Life Sciences, Aydin Province Beekeepers’ Association, and Vytautas Magnus University (VMU). On 5-6 December the project “Medical beekeeping – for beekeepers” held its second meeting in Perugia, Italy. VMU Agriculture Academy prof. dr. Virginija Dulskienė and assoc. prof. dr. Anželika Dautartė of the Department of Environment and Ecology at Faculty of Forest sciences and Ecology, participated in the meeting discussed the importance of training activities that help beekeepers diversify their operations, improve their techniques, and increase the market value of their products to meet growing apitherapy demands.

Within the framework of the project, it is planned to create virtual training materials, a video of best practise examples, meetings with the target group in each country to present the project’s results, and other relevant activities. The next project meeting will take place in Wroclaw, Poland, on May.

More information about the project

Conference “Young scientist 2023”

The 20th annual conference of young scientists “Young scientist 2023” organized by the Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy (VMU AA) will be held on March 29 remotely. The conference is intended for the first, second and third degree students. The purpose of the conference is to involve students in scientific activities, develop the ability to publicize scientific research results, present their scientific research achievements and discuss topical issues of bioeconomy, green course, climate change, ecosystem sustainability, rational use and protection of natural resources.

There is no conference fee for students.

Certificates of conference participants will be awarded to the speakers of the conference. Speakers will be able to publish articles in the collection of articles of the conference “Young scientist 2023” or in another scientific publication, for example, in the scientific journals “Agricultural Sciences”, “Agricultural Engineering” or another, after submitting articles that meet the requirements for articles in a scientific publication.

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

Conference topics	Subtopics
Bioeconomy	Accounting and finance: challenges and opportunities
	Bioeconomy, sustainability of agriculture and food sector
	Innovations and solutions in business logistics
	Management of agri-business and other bioeconomy business organizations
	Sustainable development of rural areas
Biosystems engineering	Energy engineering
	Land management
	Mechanical engineering
	Power engineering
	Technology engineering
	Transport engineering
	Water engineering
Sustainability of agricultural, forest, and water ecosystems	Agronomy
	Food quality and safety
	Sustainability of agricultural ecosystems
	Ecosystem services
	Sustainable forestry
	Wildlife population management

Pre-registration for the conference until January 31, 2023.

Articles for the conference “Young scientist 2023” are accepted until March 1, 2023. Scientific papers online submission: Conference Proceedings “Young scientist 2023″.

The articles must be prepared according to the recommendations for the authors of the articles.

Idea Global Poland Prize. Opportunity for students

HugeTECH helps innovative foreign students develop their Startup in Poland. Do you want to develop your business in Poland? Apply for the Idea Global Poland Prize grant programme and work with the best!

The Accelerator Idea Global Poland Prize is a programme aimed at young companies and startups outside Poland’s borders, creating great conditions for development. The Idea Global Poland Prize offer is very simple and attractive: after establishing a business in Poland you receive full support from experts and mentors. In addition, you can benefit from soft-landing activities, and there is a grant of up to €50,000 available to fund your product development. Apply and establish cooperation and business relationships with key Polish companies and corporations!

Why Poland?

Benefits for the development of startups in Poland:

Poland is a Gateway of Europe for non-polish startups: Poland has a favorable geographical location – it makes it easy access to the entire CEE region and Western Europe.
Poland is well known in the world for the quality of work of developers and programmers – it ranks third in the world.
Poland is the fastest growing East European startup ecosystem.

Applying for the Idea Global Poland Prize is until the end of 2022.

If you are interested apply www.polandprize.eu and gain:

Up to 50 000 EUR non-equity grant
Up to 3 months soft-landing phase
Up to 6 months acceleration
Concierge support during the programme
Connection with corporate partners & VCs
Support in business registration in Poland, trainings, accommodation and a dedicated Visa path for non-EU citizens
The possibility to implement your solution at prestigious Polish companies
The possibility of making the leading VC funds in Poland interested in your solution

More information

Visit of VMU Agriculture Academy staff to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation consultation and validation workshop

24-25 November 2022 the United nations Food and Agriculture Organisation Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (UN FAO REU) organized a consultation and validation workshop on “Developing a Capacity Building Programme on Land Consolidation and Land Banking” in Budapest, Hungary. The overall objective of this workshop was to facilitate cooperation between countries and in particular between universities in the region to enhance educational programmes related to land consolidation and land banking to develop long-term capacities of technical experts and practitioners working in land consolidation and land banking.

Lecturer Dr. Giedrius Pašakarnis and researcher Dr. Audrius Aleknavičius from the Department of Land Management and Geomatics, Faculty of Engineering, Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy (VMU AA), participated in this consultative workshop and represented the only university that prepares land consolidation project planners in Lithuania.

Dr. G. Pašakarnis to the participants of the workshop presented the study report on the actual study programmes on land consolidation and land banking in the region. Dr. A. Aleknavičius for land managers gave an overview of the subjects taught in Lithuanian higher education institutions and the detailed curriculum of the VMU Agriculture Academy study programme Land management.

Dr. G. Pašakarnis presents a study report

Dr. A. Aleknavičius presents VMU Agriculture Academy study programme Land management

The participants of the seminar also listened to the presentations of representatives of universities from Austria, Estonia, Moldova, Northern Macedonia, Slovenia, Turkey, and Ukraine on the study programmes related to land consolidation, discussed the peculiarities of land consolidation and land banking in different countries, and analyzed the way capacity building is organized at the university level in the different countries.

VMU Agriculture Academy staff visit to the workshop was funded by the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia.

Prepared by Giedrius Pašakarnis and Audrius Aleknavičius

Dissemination event of project FARM

Researchers from the Department of Business and Rural Development Management of the Faculty of Bioeconomy Development of the of the Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy (VMU AA) together with other partner universities are implementing the international ERASMUS+ project “Fostering Agriculture Rural Development and Land Management” (FARM) coordinated by the Harz University of Applied Sciences in Germany.

Project researchers would like to invite you to the dissemination event of the project. Together with four European partners from Northern Macedonia, Spain, Lithuania and Cyprus, a holistic approach to promote knowledge and technology transfer in the agricultural sector was developed over the last two years. The project focused on innovative technologies, especially decision support systems (DSS) and their usage in agriculture. The event will showcase all project outputs, which include an interactive map and dashboard, an online catalogue, two DSS prototypes, and learning materials. There will also be an opportunity for networking and exchange.

REGISTRATION:

Laura Gorzitze

lgorzitze@hs-harz.de

+49 3943 659 828

More information about the project

The event will be photographed and/or filmed; therefore, please note that you might be featured in photos or videos which can be published in various media.

Erasmus+ competition for internship 2022-2023. Turn an adventure into an experience!

The third “Erasmus+” competition for internships of students and future graduates for the 2022-2023 academic year in EU/EEA countries is announced.

The duration of the internship is from 2 to 6 months. Internship of graduates can end within a year after graduation at the latest.

Applications are accepted until December 31. Applications are submitted through the VDU e-system at https://epasirasymas.vdu.lt/

Information about the third Erasmus+ competition for internships for students for the 2022-2023 academic year in EU/EEA countries (pdf)

More information