Lithuania: Vilnius University (Vilniaus universitetas)

Vilnius University, founded in 1579, is a state university and one of the oldest establishments of higher education in Eastern and Central Europe. The University has 12 faculties, 8 institutes, 10 study and research centres, the oldest Library in Lithuania, a University Hospital, an Astronomical Observatory, a Botanical Garden, a Computer Center, and a Church. Student numbers total 22,618.

Vilnius University has 2 909 employees. Five people will be directly involved in the project.

Intensive research in the fields of Baltic studies, Lithuanian studies, Classical studies, English studies, German studies and literature studies is carried out at Vilnius University. Among areas of particular interest are Indo-European linguistics, Baltic linguistics, and Lithuanian linguistics. The University offers courses in Lexicology, Morphology, Accentology, Syntax, Stylistics and Language Use as well as theoretical courses like Lexical Semantics, Lexicography, Terminology, Text Linguistics, and Functional Grammar. Of particular interest to this project is the fact that the Department of Lithuanian Studies at the University offers courses of the Lithuanian language for foreigners.

Since 1991, the University of Vilnius has been a Signatory to the Magna Charta of the European Universities. The University is a member of the European University Association (EUA) and the Conference of Baltic University Rectors. Since 1998 the University of Vilnius is a member of The Utrecht Network, which unites 26 Western and Central European Universities and maintains close cooperation with the university networks in the USA, Australia and other continents. Many academic units and their representatives are active members of specialized international academic associations and organizations. 60 bilateral cooperation agreements have been signed to date. A great number of projects on bilateral cooperation basis have been carried out by different faculties, departments, and other academic divisions of the university. The most intensive cooperation exists between the University and European institutions – universities, science and research centres and seventeen partners. The University takes an active part in the European Union, UNESCO, and NATO programmes with the University boasting two UNESCO departments and the Jean Monnet chair. In recent years, the University has become an active participant in European Union programmes including Socrates, Leonardo, and Framework. The UNESCO Associated Centre of Excellence for Research and Training in Basic Sciences was among the first to be established in the pre-accession countries under the FRAMEWORK programme. The centre has become the coordinator of the long-term research project.

Contact person Saulė Juzelėnienė
http://www.vukhf.lt
lithuanian@balticlanguages.eu