he greatest strength, success, and inspiration of this past year have been you. During this festive season, I wish you joy in celebrating your own achievements as well as those of others, our joint projects, and the challenges we have overcome together.
This year, with the drastic reforms shaking the education sector, has been an intense one. Yet, we pulled together, supporting one another and putting all our efforts into attracting students. And here we are rightfully celebrating the growth in student numbers, especially among young people from Lithuania, while internationalization has still remained one of our most distinctive qualities. Across all levels, from Vilnius to Klaipėda, we now have 9,500 students!
Throughout the year, we have continued to systematically develop frameworks that will support the focused advancement of the university’s research activities: from research planning and the structured growth of researchers’ careers to a modern equipment management ecosystem and a new research information infrastructure – all of which contribute to the country’s scientific diplomacy.
We are working with partners to establish a national Artificial Intelligence center, the so-called “AI Factory,” which will bring together advanced computing infrastructure, data, talent, research, and business. This will be another contribution to the country’s digital transformation. We are also participating in other strategic national and international initiatives focused on sustainability, cybersecurity, autonomous systems, and the development of advanced technologies.
Our collaboration with leading global and regional partners continues – from MIT to NORDTEK and the “Security Code” initiatives. More and more of our experts are visible in the public sphere, sharing insights, responding to changes, and creating added value where it matters most to today’s society – in the fields of security, defense, disinformation, and AI. I am grateful that you are true innovators and the voices of VILNIUS TECH.
This year, we have made progress in infrastructure improvement projects and campus development: we began construction of the Maritime Engineering and Renewable Energy Competence Center in Klaipėda, continued modernizing laboratory buildings and dormitories, and are setting up the Digital Defense Competence Center.
We have grown in every sense: over the past few years, our salaries have increased by 1.5 times, and as of this October, the updated variable pay system has come into effect, reaching €6 million per year. Employee well-being has also benefited from the financial advantages provided by the MELP system.
The university is growing and changing, and none of this would be possible without your commitment, professionalism, loyalty, and belief in our mission. THANK YOU!
A special year is approaching for our community as next year we will celebrate the University’s honorable 70th anniversary, and I invite each of you to feel like hosts of this jubilee. Initiate ideas, bring the community together, dedicate your projects and activities to the anniversary year, and spread the word to alumni and friends.
May the coming year be full of research and inventions!
Rector Romualdas Kliukas
