Vilnius University and Partners to Establish Two International Competence Centres
The Ministry of Education, Science and Sport of the Republic of Lithuania has approved the list of International Competence Centres. Among the selected initiatives are two new centres in which Vilnius University (VU) is a national partner.
The initiative to establish International Competence Centres is a strategic investment in Lithuania’s internationalisation and scientific research potential in the fields of advanced medicine and high technology. Together with internationally recognised partners, the centres will establish new research teams that will attract talented researchers.
One of the centres – the Centre for Advanced Disease Modelling – will be created by VU in partnership with Vilnius University Hospital Santaros Klinikos, Utrecht University, and the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands. The centre will develop alternative disease modelling technologies based on cellular and molecular models, which allow for a reduction in the use of laboratory animals and support a more individualised understanding of diseases. The teams aim to create a high-level, internationally competitive translational science platform that will contribute to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic tools, as well as to the advancement of personalised medicine and new medical technologies.
The second centre – the Centre of Competence for Terahertz and Hybrid Semiconductor Chips– brings together VU, the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC), Eindhoven University of Technology, and the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre IMEC in Belgium. This partnership focuses on the development of high-frequency terahertz (THz) chips and advanced semiconductor compounds. By combining expertise in materials growth, design, and integration, the centre will create a new generation of electronic-photonic devices with the potential to significantly contribute to the advancement of semiconductor technologies.
In total, five International Competence Centres have been approved in Lithuania. Up to €40,000,000 has been allocated for their establishment. The initiative is part of the measure No. 12-001-01-02-01 “Strengthening Innovation Ecosystems in Research Centres” under the Science Development Programme of the Lithuanian Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, implemented within the 2022–2030 Development Programme.