Lithuanian Maritime Academy

VILNIUS TECH systematically develops the publication of academic, scientific, and educational literature, making a substantial contribution to the creation and dissemination of knowledge and to the strengthening of academic culture at both national and international levels. The University publishes a broad range of materials, including monographs, textbooks, учебные books, laboratory manuals, academic journals, conference proceedings, dissertations, as well as informational, publicistic, and representative publications. All publications are issued and made available in both printed and electronic formats. A monograph is a comprehensive scholarly publication authored by an individual researcher or a collective of authors, intended for the in-depth and systematic examination of a specific research problem or topic. It presents original research findings, theoretical insights, and their interpretations that contribute significantly to the advancement of the relevant field of study. For this reason, monographs are regarded as one of the most important forms of academic publishing. Publications issued by the University are available through the VILNIUS TECH online store and the electronic books platform. Members of the University community may access both printed and electronic publications free of charge via the information resources provided by the VILNIUS TECH Virtual Library. We present monographs published by VILNIUS TECH:          

On 3–4 December 2025, the final conference of the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education project “I-MAT – Innovative Mobility Attracting Tools for Latin America” was held in Bogotá, Colombia. The event showcased the outcomes of three years of intensive cooperation. The I-MAT project was implemented by a consortium of nine universities from Europe (Portugal, Lithuania, and Poland) and Latin America (Brazil, Peru, and Colombia). This diverse partnership brought together complementary strengths: the structured internationalisation management of European universities and the Latin American universities’ leadership in inclusion and virtual exchange (i.e., Collaborative Online International Learning, COIL). As a project partner, VILNIUS TECH played a significant role in contributing to the project’s success. Researchers from the VILNIUS TECH Institute of Dynamic Management, Prof. Dr Indrė Lapinskaitė and Assoc. Prof. Dr Viktorija Stasytytė, conducted an extensive study involving over 4,000 students and 1,000 staff members from partner universities in Latin America. The research identified key factors hindering international mobility among students and staff. Its insights and recommendations – related to motivation, communication, and support services – formed an essential basis for designing tools to enhance internationalisation across partner universities. Representatives of the VILNIUS TECH International Relations Office organised a week-long practical workshop in Vilnius and delivered training sessions to colleagues from Colombian universities on internationalisation strategies and development measures. They shared best practices and contributed to the creation of the project’s core outputs: the Catalogue of Tools (CoT) for promoting mobility, and the I-MOB mobile application, which presents academic exchange opportunities within the I-MAT partnership. All I-MAT project results share a common goal: to make internationalisation more accessible, and mobility processes clearer, simpler, and more inclusive. Prepared in English, Portuguese, and Spanish, the CoT is a practical instrument for evaluating a university’s internationalisation maturity. It enables institutions to identify suitable measures to advance management, internationalisation of the curriculum, digitalisation, student and staff mobility, and communication. Creative events organised by Latin American partners to promote internationalisation among students and staff have also inspired VILNIUS TECH to introduce similar initiatives. Participation in the I-MAT project has not only strengthened existing partnerships and helped to build new connections with Latin American universities but also enhanced the global visibility of VILNIUS TECH and Lithuania. Further information about I-MAT and its outputs can be found on the project website: https://i-mat.eu/

VILNIUS TECH Library invites you to follow the published new dissertations. The dissertation „Representing history in comic book: the importance of temporal and spatial communication“ prepared at VILNIUS TECH by Vaida Nedzinskaitė-Mitkė. The dissertation was prepared in 2021–2025. Scientific consultant – Prof. Dr Tomas Kačerauskas. The dissertation was defended at the public meeting of the Dissertation Defence Council of the Scientific Field of Communication and Information in the Aula Doctoralis Meeting Hall of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University at 10 a.m. on 26 February 2026. This doctoral dissertation examines how comics employ temporal and spatial, visually based communication solutions to create the illusion of continuous action and sound in an art form that is soundless and motionless. The dissertation argues that the comics medium is exceptionally well-suited to producing historically based storylines because it can provide emotionally impactful experiences through visually stimulating communicative decisions. This investigation employs several methodological approaches. Comics studies, in general, are very under-researched. Thus, because there is very little research that focuses on the art form’s communication aspects, the author of this dissertation had to employ a holistic approach and utilise qualitative methodologies, such as autoethnography, open-ended questionnaires, and case studies, to gather rich data. The doctoral dissertation begins by examining comics’ ability to create the illusion of action and sound, with a focus on the historical genre. Next, the analysis focuses on visually based communicative applications in the medium and its relationship with the target audience. The dissertation then examines specific comics to identify the creative solutions employed in the medium. Conducted empirical research provided numerous findings. An autoethnographic approach yielded insights into the creative process of producing comics within a historical genre. This experience led to the formulation of rules that should help creatives better plan the creative process and utilise the historians’ consultation for the best possible artistic results. As a soundless medium, comics can effectively convey additional meanings, just as sound would. In other words, all (non-diegetic) text has communicative attributes that can provide additional meaning to the provided information and, in turn, produce an immersive experience. This dissertation concludes with final remarks on communicative challenges and opportunities of the historical genre and possible further research. Doctoral dissertation readers can search via VILNIUS TECH Virtual Library.

In Barcelona, the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) – the world’s largest exhibition for audiovisual and integrated systems technologies – took place. The event became an important professional experience for two Event Engineering students from the Faculty of Creative Industries at VILNIUS TECH, Aurelija Navickaitė and Kamilija Laskevičiūtė, who participated in an international internship there. On the very first day of the exhibition, during the international “ROBE lighting” distributors’ meeting, Lithuania was also mentioned. The Faculty’s partner, “Scenos techninis servisas” (StS), was highlighted as a best practice example from Lithuania. In cooperation with the “Next Robe Generation” project, the StS team created opportunities for the students to gain first-hand insight into world-class industry standards. According to the head of StS, Laurynas Paškevičius, investment in knowledge forms the foundation of long-term value, and a profession is best understood not in theory, but in a real working environment. “For us, it is always most important to allow young people to try – not only to tell them about the event industry, but to show it from the inside, to involve them and give them the opportunity to test themselves while working alongside a team of top-level professionals. This exhibition shows students what this profession requires and what career paths are open to them. I would like to wish them the courage and ambition to become true professionals in their field,” says L. Paškevičius. The students themselves are delighted with the opportunity to become part of an international community. During the internship, they not only observed the exhibitions but also actively engaged in activities: they communicated with other students and ROBE employees, and exchanged experiences and ideas. Aurelija Navickaitė, a student of the Faculty of Creative Industries, emphasized that the most impressive experience was the opportunity to practically engage with lighting control technologies: “I am very happy to have had the opportunity to act as a RoboSpot system operator during the spotlight demonstration shows. It allowed me to gain completely new, hands-on experience that I had not had before. It was also extremely useful to explore the entire exhibition and get acquainted with technical innovations presented by other companies.” The internship in Barcelona provided many valuable professional insights, and already this spring a visit for Event Engineering students of the Faculty of Creative Industries to the ROBE factory in the Czech Republic is being planned.