VILNIUS TECH, together with the University of Alicante and six other partners from Spain, Italy, Lithuania, and Norway, will participate in the Erasmus+ project “STEM Girls: Path to Success in Engineering.” The project's goal is to encourage girls aged 12–16 to take an interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields and promote a more balanced gender representation in engineering studies.

The initiative's partners met in Alicante on November 10–11 to discuss the project's upcoming plans. Over the two-day meeting, partners shared strategies, methodologies, and experiences on how to encourage girls to engage in STEM through inclusive and collaborative approaches. They also discussed the action plan and upcoming events, including hands-on workshops for girls, seminars for teachers, career counselors, and parents, as well as a mentoring program for girls and the development of educational resources.

“By this project, we seek to show girls that engineering is not just for men. They can be creators, engineers, and leaders in technology. This project aims to break stereotypes and show that every girl can find her place in this field. We hope more of them will choose engineering studies,” says Gintarė Orlavičienė, Deputy Director of the Admissions and Information Center at VILNIUS TECH, who participated in the meeting in Alicante.

Partners and Collaborators

The three-year project (2025–2028) brings together universities, schools, a non-governmental organization, and a major technology company. The participating institutions are: University of Alicante (Spain), Universitetet i Tromsø - Norges Arktiske Universitet (Norway), Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (Lithuania), CESIE Ente del Terzo Settore (Italy), IES San Vicente (Spain), Stiftelsen Tromsø International School (Norway), Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Engineering Lyceum (Lithuania), and NTT DATA Spain (Spain) – a leading company in the tech sector known for innovation and promoting female talent in STEM.

The project also includes associated organizations in Spain that will strengthen the role of female role models and mentors and support the dissemination of the project’s results in schools. These collaborators include the Association of Businesswomen, Professionals, and Executives of Alicante (AEPA) and InnovaEquity, which helps companies and institutions implement equal opportunities strategies.

VILNIUS TECH will be responsible for organizing hands-on workshops for girls and implementing seminars for their parents, teachers, and career advisors. It will also handle the development of communication materials, the dissemination of content, and the preparation of an annual report on the project’s outcomes. The project will be led at VILNIUS TECH by Justė Rožėnė, Director of the Admissions and Information Center, and her deputy, Gintarė Orlavičienė.

“STEM Girls: Path to Success in Engineering” is a Cooperation Partnerships project co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ program. The project budget is 400,000 euros.