“I have always been interested in the prospects of Lithuanian life sciences. Having chosen to study a PhD in Sweden, I wanted to gain more experience and new skills that I could use when I returned to Lithuania. The Vilnius University Life Science Center and its development also contributed a lot to the return to Lithuania. GMC provides all the opportunities to carry out high-level scientific research, which can freely compete with the works of the world’s most famous universities”, – biochemist Darius Šulskis, who received a grant from the MJJ Foundation in 2022, shares his motivation to return from the University of Gothenburg.

Researchers interested to work in Lithuania are invited to apply and selected laureates will receive grants as an addition to the university’s salary for a period of up to two years.

The fund has already allocated almost 900 000 Eur for the salaries of more than the 40 researchers who won the 2019-2022 competition and came to Lithuania from Japan, Canada, Italy, Australia, Sweden, France, the USA, the UK, Ukraine and other countries.

Priority areas: physical, informatics, biomedical, engineering, health, technological, veterinary sciences.

We invite candidates to submit applications by registering on the MJJ Foundation’s website: mjjfondas.lt/kryptys/science/

Potential applicants:

A grant from the MJJ Foundation may be received by academics who have got their PhD abroad and wish to continue their career in Lithuania and share their knowledge with students. Researchers who are planning to move to Lithuania or did it no longer than 6 months before this application date can register themselves or to be registered by the faculties of local universities.

The deadline for application – January 10th, 2025.

The participants eager to participate in this call have to start their academic activities in Lithuania in 2025-2026. The grant provided by the MJJ foundation is given for one to two years.

Evaluation of applications:

Only completed and detailed applications will be submitted for the evaluation and expert review. The expert review of applications will be carried out by bringing together relevant independent academics with specific academic expertise and the board members of the MJJ foundation.

If you have any questions about the return process or work at Lithuanian universities, please write to kotryna@mjjfondas.lt. We will be happy tointroduce to the international scientists who have already received grants from the MJJ foundation in 2019-2024 and are working in Lithuania.

Dr Laurynas Dagys, a researcher co-funded by the MJJ Foundation, graduated in Physics and Natural Sciences from Vilnius University and completed fellowships at the Darmstadt University of Technology, Johannes Gutenberg University, the Max Planck Institute in Germany, the University of California in the USA, and the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom.

The researcher, who was awarded the Erwin Schrödinger’s Prize by the Helmholtz Association in 2021, is working on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry research that could lead to applications in fundamental materials science and cancer diagnostics.

“Attracting researchers to work in Lithuania is one of the main strategic directions of the MJJ Foundation, for which we have been developing and awarding grants for the past five years. We are delighted to partner with the VU Foundation on this mission. Dr Laurynas Dagys is the third researcher we have helped to establish in Vilnius together,” says Kotryna Stankutė Jaščemskienė, the head of the MJJ Foundation.

“I am working to establish a conservation genomics research group at Vilnius University, which would attract students interested in the problems of global biodiversity loss and monitoring the genetic variation of organisms. Having studied the emergence and evolution of tropical animal and plant species for many years, I came to Lithuania with experience in phylogenomics, genome assembly and population genomics. With the team, I plan to collect data on local species to monitor the state of their genetic diversity and determine their resistance to future climate change scenarios,” shares Maria Fernanda from Columbia, who moved to Lithuania with the grant of Marius Jakulis Jason Foundation.

“I have always been interested in the prospects of Lithuanian life sciences. Having chosen to study a PhD in Sweden, I wanted to gain more experience and new skills that I could use when I returned to Lithuania. The Vilnius University Life Science Center and its development also contributed a lot to the return to Lithuania. GMC provides all the opportunities to carry out high-level scientific research, which can freely compete with the works of the world’s most famous universities”, – biochemist Darius Šulskis, who received a grant from the MJJ Foundation in 2022, shares his motivation to return from the University of Gothenburg.

With this call for applications, the Foundation will continue providing grants for selected researchers in addition to the university’s salary for a period of up to two years. It is dedicated to researchers who wish to come from abroad and who will be selected by an independent experts and board members of MJJ foundation.

The fund has already allocated 858 000 Eur for the salaries of the 40 researchers who won the 2019-2022 competition and came to Lithuania from Japan, Canada, Italy, Australia, Sweden, France, the USA, the UK, Ukraine and other countries.

Priority areas: physical, informatics, biomedical, engineering, health, technological, veterinary sciences.

We invite candidates to submit applications by registering on the MJJ Foundation’s website: mjjfondas.lt/kryptys/science/

Potential applicants:

A grant from the MJJ Foundation may be received by academics who have got their PhD abroad and wish to continue their career in Lithuania and share their knowledge with students. Researchers who are planning to move to Lithuania or did it no longer than 6 months before this application date can register themselves or to be registered by the faculties of local universities.

The deadline for application – January 10th, 2024.

The participants eager to participate in this call have to start their academic activities in Lithuania in 2024-2025. The grant provided by the MJJ foundation is given for one to two years.

Evaluation of applications:

Only completed and detailed applications will be submitted for the evaluation and expert review. The expert review of applications will be carried out by bringing together relevant independent academics with specific academic expertise and the board members of the MJJ foundation.

If you have any questions about the return process or work at Lithuanian universities, please write to kotryna@mjjfondas.lt. We will be happy tointroduce to the international scientists who have already received grants from the MJJ foundation in 2019-2023 and are working in Lithuania.

From the hands of the Chancellor of the Presidency of the Republic of Lithuania, he received the award announced by the President of Lithuania on the occasion of the February 16th, for his philanthropy and long-term contribution to the development of Lithuania through his businesses and investments. We thank the Ministry of Economy and Innovation for the nomination.

At the beginning of last spring, L. Paltanavičius and his fellow student A. Hassann were awarded the master’s diplomas of Wageningen University & Research, the best university specializing in agricultural sciences in the world (young people from 120 countries study at this university). In May already, the young researchers decided to embark on a 7,000 km bike ride. Their mission is to reveal their experience by visiting farms in countries of different continents and countries with different economic development. Thus, they want to show in the created film by what means people are trying to prevent climate change, the desertification of the world’s soil and also how “green” farms of the future and new food chains are created. According to the hikers themselves, while studying at the University of Wageningen, they learned a lot of worrying global issues related to food security. So then, they wanted to see in practice how countries deal with these problems at the political level and through the efforts of individual enthusiasts and get inspiration. A few weeks ago, after covering over 3,000 kilometers with his partner and already reaching Egypt, Lukas presented his project and its benefits at the COP27 climate change conference in Sharm el-Sheikh.

Let’s follow Luke’s travels together, the aim of which is to bring home the established connections and the most suitable solutions for the future of European farms: www.cycletofarms.com

We also invite you to watch Luke’s interview on BBC TV.

Read more HERE.

“I am working to establish a conservation genomics research group at Vilnius University, which would attract students interested in the problems of global biodiversity loss and monitoring the genetic variation of organisms. Having studied the emergence and evolution of tropical animal and plant species for many years, I came to Lithuania with experience in phylogenomics, genome assembly and population genomics. With the team, I plan to collect data on local species to monitor the state of their genetic diversity and determine their resistance to future climate change scenarios,” shares Maria Fernanda from Columbia, who moved to Lithuania with the grant of Marius Jakulis Jason Foundation.

With this call for applications, the Foundation will continue providing grants for selected researchers in addition to the university’s salary for a period of up to two years. It is dedicated to researchers who wish to come from abroad and who will be selected by an independent experts and university representatives.

Priority areas: social, physical, biomedical, technological, veterinary sciences.

We invite candidates to submit applications by registering on the MJJ Foundation’s website: mjjfondas.lt/kryptys/science/

Potential applicants:

A grant from the MJJ Foundation may be received by academics who have received their PhD abroad and wish to continue their career in Lithuania and share their expertise and knowledge with students. Academics may register themselves or be represented by the representatives of local universities.

The deadline for application – January 15th, 2023.

The participants eager to participate in this call have to start their academic activities in Lithuania in 2023-2024. The grant provided by the MJJ foundation is given for one to two years.

Evaluation of applications:

Only completed and detailed applications will be submitted for the evaluation and expert review. The expert review of applications will be carried out by bringing together relevant independent academics with specific academic expertise and university representatives.

If you have any questions about the return process or work at Lithuanian universities, please write to kotryna@mjjfondas.lt. We kindly introduce international scientists who received grants from the MJJ foundation in 2019-2022 and are already returning to Lithuania HERE.

Dinas Vaitkaitis, head of the Department of Extreme Medicine at LSMU, says that doctors from four Ukrainian universities – Odesa, Lviv, Bukovina and Uzhhorod – have arrived in Kaunas. They are trained in the American College of Surgeons course on Advanced Trauma Care. “This course is an international standard on how to provide assistance in the event of a particularly severe injury, how to organize the work of trauma teams and the trauma system. This is the foundation for the entire system related to injuries,” D. Vaitkaitis said on Wednesday.

LSMU has the right to conduct this course only on the territory of Lithuania, so, according to D. Vaitkaitis, it was necessary to go through the “roads of the cross” so that the Ukrainian medical group defending against the Russian invasion could come to Lithuania for a whole week. These courses were financed by the Lithuanian Marius Jakulis Jason Foundation, which enabled the purchase of American teaching materials.

Read more HERE.

MJJ Foundation is happy to share the stories of the eight laureates of this year’s Knowledge Grant. The knowledge which these young people going to bring home will contribute to an innovative, healthy, sustainable Lithuania. During their studies these talented students will share their knowledge in articles and video blogs. They are ready to create the future of Lithuania through sciences, art history, food technology, education, digital, IT, economy and innovation:

1. Kasparas Briedis works as a cardiologist in Kaunas clinics and teaches students at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. He has already gained an exceptional international experience and secured an international reputation. To gain additional experience and scientific knowledge in health economics and process management Kasparas will started Master’s studies in Health Economics and Management Cardiology (Executive MSC) London School of Economics and Political Science. “During my master’s studies, I aim to develop international experience in health economics and management, which will allow me to apply the acquired knowledge and management skills in the continuous improvement of the health care services of the Republic of Lithuania. I will seek to learn how to improve day-to-day clinical efficiency and management and their outcomes in cardiovascular disease, which is still the leading cause of death worldwide. In addition, the new professional acquaintances met could also open up further international cooperation opportunities between universities”, says Kasparas about the value of his studies for Lithuania.
2. Paulius Sasnauskas laureate is going to do Master’s studies in Advanced Computing at London Imperial College. After his studies, Paulius is considering several possible areas of activity: continuing his studies in doctoral studies, engaging in research and development activities in a company, teaching at Vilnius University. In these fields, computer science specialists are highly needed, and from my master’s studies, I could apply my knowledge of machine learning to the construction of models that are used in artificial intelligence and decision-making. Also, I want to pass on the knowledge and experience gained while teaching at Vilnius University because by taking knowledge from the best universities in the world, it would be possible to present the latest research and share the best methods that are being developed in this field” Paulius shares his vision. Various after-school and post-study activities already gave Paulius opportunity to gain a lot of knowledge in informatics, program system design and development. He participate in various competitions and won the international “iGEM” competition which aim is to create a project that solves a biological problem affecting everyone and to present the results of the solution.
3. Lukas Mažonas entered the competitive European Master’s in Food Studies program, which takes place at four leading food technology universities – Wageningen University & Research (The Netherland), University College Cork (Ireland), Lund University (Sweden) and AgroParisTech (France). He completed his bachelor’s studies at Wageningen University & Research, the best food technology university in Europe and one of the best in the world. Having acquired knowledge during his studies, Lukas intends to bring new ideas to Lithuania and share his knowledge. Apart from food, Wageningen University & Research is well known in the world as a university focused on 21st century issues such as the ecological crisis. After learning sustainable food industry, Lukas will aim to contribute to the “green” and healthy food industry in Lithuania with his input and experience. During this master degree Lukas will have the opportunity to study and learn a whole global vision, knowledge and skills thanks to Ireland, France and Sweden universities. He shares, “I would like to push Lithuania in the food sector and dream that one day our country will be a land of food innovation. Lithuania is ready to take the next step in the food sector and is open to innovation”.
4. Sara Aškinyte will start Master’s studies in philosophy of education at University College London. She has been working in the field of education for more than seven years, from student self-government to leading one of the largest youth organizations in Lithuania – the Lithuanian School Students’ Union (LMS). She became a member of the Lithuanian Education Council, where they solved national education issues with other experts. “During this period, I became convinced that I want and am able to achieve changes in the Lithuanian education system, since it is the basis of society. I want to continue to improve, that’s why I entered the university with the highest ratings in the field of education – UCL, in order to gain irreplaceable knowledge that will be needed when I return to Lithuania”, Sara shares her motivation. She is convinced that after her master’s studies, she will be even closer to the change of the entire education system in Lithuania. Her goal is to work directly with education, paying attention to the school community, meaning, emotional environment and its importance. After completing her master’s studies, Sara will aim to work in educational expert groups, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports and work together with interest groups.
5. Lukas Baliūnas will study a Master in Machine Learning and Machine Intelligence at the University of Cambridge. This university has access to the most modern technologies, with which Lukas hopes to gain invaluable experience. “After graduating from the University of Cambridge, I will return with the experience of a world-leading university and I plan to share the knowledge I have learned. I will seek to join the Lithuanian Association of Artificial Intelligence, to contribute to the organization of its activities, so that the popularity and significance of this field grows in Lithuania. My goal after graduation is to start working as a machine learning analyst or machine learning engineer in a technology and innovation company in Lithuania. I hope to contribute to the development of new machine learning models and their application in Lithuania. Most of all, I would like to contribute to natural language processing for the Lithuanian language. I would like to work on voice recognition, translation, or speech generation, because I believe that they are very important in modern society, but Lithuanians cannot take full advantage of them as Lithuanian language is rarely supported” Lukas Baliūnui shares his plans.
6. This year, Gustas Mikutavičius will start his studies at ETH Zurich University’s statistics master’s program in Zurich, Switzerland, which is rated as one of the best in the world. Recently graduated from Vilnius University’s Finance and Insurance Mathematics study program at the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics, Gustas was one of the top students and managed to prove a new theorem on products of generalized subexponential distributions while writing his undergraduate thesis. About his motivation to go to Zurich uiversity he says “I would like to create a mathematics and informatics education platform for pupils and students. The results of the state matriculation exam in mathematics testify to us every year about the insufficient level of mathematics education. The newly created educational platform would make quality mathematical education accessible not only to a larger part of Lithuanian schoolchildren, but also to students. The statistical and artificial intelligence knowledge accumulated at the ETH Zurich University and transferred to Lithuanian students would allow the preparation of a sufficient amount top-class statistics and data science professionals.”
7. Aistė Liuka Jonynaitė has been pursuing an academic career in the field of visual art and culture in Lithuania and abroad. After completing her BA in Art History at the University of York in Great Britain, one of the five most prestigious visual arts research departments, she will continue her MA studies at The Courtauld Institute of Art, in London, in the art history program ‘Global Conceptualism’. Aistė Liuka believes that awarding this scholarship is not only a personal assessment, but also a strong recognition of the value of academic culture and art sciences among other academic disciplines. “I chose the master’s degree in art history studies because I want to spend time and delve even deeper into the ideological and institutional features of Eastern European conceptualism. The current curriculum in the Courtauld Institute is one of the most progressive in the world, responding to the influences of feminist and queer theories. I will seek to understand how global experts rethink the influences of Eastern and Western contemporary art and I hope that I will be able to introduce the questions they consider into the processes of research and understanding of Lithuanian culture.“ says Aistė Liuka Jonynaitė about her choice and studies.
8. Dovilė Butrimaitė will integrate Master of Management of Information Systems and Digital Innovation at London School of Economics and Political Science. “My ambition is to contribute to the sustainable development of business in Lithuania. Today, for me, this means the opportunity to bring the knowledge gained at LSE University to companies with Lithuanian capital. I would like Lithuanian companies to solve widespread problems in society, such as social exclusion and inequality, poverty and lack of access to education. I believe that by using the benefits brought by technology and the knowledge of the people working in it, it is possible to apply every technological solution not only to the target audience of the company, but also at the state level” says Dovilė about her goals. She chooses this direction because often when thinking about the value of major innovations to the economy and the material well-being they bring, one forgets how much they affect the interests of society. It is important to teach future managers about sustainable social transformation.

An existing investor, global accelerator “Antler” operating in Sweden, and Swedish and Lithuanian business angels also participated in the investment round. The investment will be used for team development, platform improvement and integration of retail partners in Lithuania, Sweden and Poland.

“The gig economy sector in Europe is growing extremely fast. It all started during the pandemic, and now with Europe going through a war and a huge influx of refugees, we feel that we are not only creating an exceptional technological solution, but also participating in an important social transformation of the labor market. Our service empowers more vulnerable social groups – youth, refugees, seniors – to earn extra, while addressing sensitive issues in the retail sector. We are happy to have successfully attracted an investment that will allow us to develop the temporary work platform even faster,” says Paulius Vėželis, CEO of the startup.

The founders of Traxlo, Paulius Vėželis and Almantas Zemblys, are developing a mobile application that will enable any resident of Lithuania and Sweden to earn from small, one-time jobs in grocery stores near their place of residence. In the mobile application, it is possible to monitor in real time the tasks of shelf maintenance, unloading of goods, checking the expiration date of products, and similar tasks. The reward for a larger task can reach 40 EUR.

In times of general shortage of workers, the benefits of the “Tasku” application are also understood by merchants, who actively connect to the platform created by the startup and offer jobs in real time to people living near one or another network store. “Today we already have contracts with several Lithuanian retail chains and product manufacturers, soon more and more residents of Vilnius and other cities will be able to work by performing tasks in the shops in the neighborhood. Our plans include a large part of the European market, so we are actively developing cooperation with Scandinavian and Polish retailers. We are already working with the Swedish “HonestBox” network, the “EVERY Where Retail” platform, and we are planning to launch the Swedish network with others”, says Paulius Vėželis, one of the founders of Traxlo.

One of the largest Polish retailers, Żabka, was also interested in this platform developed by Lithuanians. The company was selected and currently participates in the Żabka Future Lab program, which is curated by the Huge Thing venture capital fund and the Żabka Group retail group. The purpose of the program is to select young regional technology companies with the most promising innovations, which will be given the opportunity to test solutions on the Polish market. Żabka Group operates 8,000 conventional grocery stores and has Europe’s largest chain of cashless stores, Żabka Nano, which outnumbers even giants such as Amazon and its Just Walk Out grocery chain.

“The economy of gig workers will transform the retail market, new store formats are already emerging today, where customers shop by themselves without the help of salespeople, or couriers collect and deliver goods to customers. In such a fast-changing market, flexible gig work methods are the future of the market, and solutions like “Tasku” are a real salvation for merchants who are struggling to find new employees,” says Kasparas Jurgelionis, managing partner of Iron Wolf Capital.

“We are happy to have found investors with the same values. It is important for us to combine technological innovation with an important social aspect of the project. By providing new opportunities for flexible work, we promote the integration of local communities and contribute to the reduction of social exclusion. The latest technologies must make people’s daily lives and work easier, so we will focus all our attention specifically on the social aspect of our platform, so that the benefits of innovation can be felt by members of society with fewer employment opportunities, especially during this difficult period for everyone”, says Paulius Vėželis, co-founder of Traxlo.