Lithuania to Cooperate with Innovation Leader MIT

Lithuania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the world’s leading US science and research institution, have officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to cooperate and implement the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) programme in Lithuania. This programme will strengthen Lithuania’s image and visibility as a centre of innovation and technology and promote cooperation between Lithuanian science and business representatives and MIT.

On 9 September, at the Research Council of Lithuania (RCL), Karolis Žemaitis, Vice-Minister of Economy and Innovation, RCL, and the participating companies and organisations, including the Vilnius Academy of Arts, Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuanian Energy Institute, Lietuvos Geležinkeliai (Lithuanian Railways), Kaunas Science and Technology Park, and the INFOBALT association, signed a MoU on cooperation with MIT. The formal agreement is scheduled to be signed in November.

Access to world-class scientific resources

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a hub of science and innovation, consistently taking leading positions in the rankings of the world’s best universities. Its alumni have founded over 30,000 active companies, generating $4.6 trillion in annual revenues and creating more than 3.3 million jobs worldwide, equating to the world’s seventh-largest economy.

The MoU includes an agreement to participate in the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) programme in Lithuania. The opportunity for Lithuania to become a full member of the MIT MISTI programme would provide access to world-class science, technology and innovation resources, and strengthen the country’s standing in the transatlantic space, particularly in the area of security.

One component of the MISTI programme, the Global Seed Funds, would promote joint projects, research, and innovation development between MIT, Lithuanian higher education institutions, and the business sector. Lithuania, in partnership with MIT, could establish various MIT MISTI sub-programmes, tailored to meet the specific needs of the country in areas such as biotechnology, laser technology, forestry, and others.

VMU visiting professor acted as initiator

Currently, the MISTI programme operates in over 25 countries worldwide, including Japan, Singapore, Denmark, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Germany, France, the UK, Australia, and others.

Lithuania and its business and science sectors have been recognised and given this exceptional opportunity thanks to artist Gediminas Urbonas, who has been a professor at MIT for fifteen years and helps to build bridges between Lithuania and one of the world’s most prestigious universities. Gediminas and Nomeda Urbonas are visiting professors at VMU.

MIT is renowned not only for its academic achievements but also for significant innovations that are changing the world. The university boasts nearly 700 inventions and over 300 patents. Integral to MIT’s identity is its interdisciplinary nature, art-science research, and experimentation: it features the MIT Museum, the Visual Arts Center, 12 museums and galleries, and a permanent collection of more than 3,500 artworks.

This research university collaborates with over 800 companies worldwide and has more than 65 research centres, laboratories, and programmes. It is home to over a hundred Nobel Prize laureates, as well as recipients of the Pulitzer, Grammy, Guggenheim, and MacArthur awards, and Venice Biennale laureates.

MIT students volunteered in the Centre of Ukraine

The Global Teaching Labs programme will allow MIT students to teach STEAM and entrepreneurship classes in Lithuanian schools, sharing the latest knowledge based on MIT’s innovative teaching methods. MIT students could also undertake internships in innovative Lithuanian companies and organisations – an initiative that has been running for a number of years and which MIT is funding for its students in Lithuania.

The planned internship and research programme will provide broader opportunities for MIT students to do internships in Lithuania. MIT students will be able to gain hands-on experience in both large companies and growing start-ups with high potential. This programme will allow Lithuanian companies not only to collaborate with emerging talents from the US but also to develop their own talents using MIT’s collaborative tools and projects.

This summer, VMU welcomed two volunteer MIT students who contributed to the activities of the VMU Centre of Ukraine’s summer school for Ukrainian children. For example, they taught them how to make ice cream, build a solar oven, and how to code. The students introduced the children to Scratch – a simple programming language designed specifically for children by MIT scientists that fosters creativity and helps develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

To ensure the partnership with MIT and take full advantage of the opportunities it offers, Lithuania would need to pay an annual membership fee of $300,000. These funds would be specifically allocated to meet Lithuania’s needs: student and researcher exchanges, initial funding for research and innovation projects, and other initiatives that directly contribute to strengthening Lithuania’s science and technology ecosystem.