The VU Foundation Launches a Traditional Co-financing Competition to Attract Young Researchers
The Vilnius University (VU) Endowment Fund is holding a traditional competition to co-finance two academic positions, in order to attract more young researchers with recognised international experience to VU. The VU academic departments have been invited to take part in the competition.
“In today’s world, academic internationalisation and collaboration are more important than ever. These practices help strengthen the ideas of democracy, freedom, respect for other people and coexistence, by allowing us to see and understand different perspectives. This initiative is aimed at attracting young researchers with international experience to the university. Universities have always been places that bring together researchers from different countries and foster different research traditions, to not only develop important projects but also to create a better world viewed from a broad perspective,” said the VU Rector, Prof. Rimvydas Petrauskas.
All VU academic departments are invited to propose existing or new scientific positions that will promote the university’s international competitiveness, as well as the role of Lithuanian science and research in the world. Up to €30 thousand will be allocated for the temporary co-financing of one scientific position from the investment return of the VU Fund, while the remaining share will be covered by the resources of the winning departments.
The application requires specific candidates to be identified for an academic position. They should be young researchers with international experience, who obtained their doctoral degree no more than 7 years ago. In the absence of specific candidates, a description of the planned selection process is required in the application.
“Last year, we selected two young researchers from 9 applicants who successfully joined the VU academic community: Dr Mantas Šimėnas, a researcher in quantum technologies, joined the Faculty of Physics; while Dr Thomas Peak, a researcher in international relations, became part of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science (TSPMI). This is a great opportunity for the VU community to welcome young researchers with international experience who have studied, worked or completed internships at leading foreign universities, as well as participated in international research projects and published their works in journals with a high citation index,” said Justinas Noreika, Director of the VU Foundation.
The competition will he held to select and finance the two most promising academic positions that best meet the following evaluation criteria: influence on VU’s international competitiveness and the academic community; relevance and potential of the academic position; the candidates’ international experience; and the selection principles.
More information can be found here.