From June 29 to July 3, Agnė Markulytė, a master’s student in Audiovisual Translation at Vilnius University Kaunas Faculty, participated in the University of Antwerp Children’s Literature Summer School in Belgium. Her participation in the international program was funded by the Research Council of Lithuania (RCL), which supports Lithuanian higher education students’ participation in international summer schools, promoting international collaboration, scientific networking, and academic cooperation among young researchers.

The theme of the summer school was international perspectives on children’s literature and translation. This year’s program focused on contemporary research methods, theoretical approaches, and challenges in translation. Participants attended lectures, took part in interactive seminars, discussions, and practical workshops. The culturally diverse group of students created valuable opportunities for exchanging ideas and sharing academic experiences.

The three-year CyberAgent project, which has reached nearly half a million Europeans, announces its conclusion. The European Union-funded initiative demonstrated that cyber resilience in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is built not only by implementing technologies but, above all, by providing necessary knowledge to the employees themselves. The training ecosystem developed during the project enabled the preparation of more than 400 internal cybersecurity change agents and achieved high women's inclusion rates.

Launched in 2023 and bringing together 8 partners from different countries, the CyberAgent project (funded by the ERASMUS-EDU-2022-PIALL-INNO program) addressed a pressing challenge: how to help SMEs protect themselves against growing digital threats. The project's answer: to train employees capable of identifying risks, sharing best practices, and shaping a secure digital culture within their organizations.

From June 10 to July 9, VU Kaunas Faculty hosted Lithuanian Language and Culture Course for international participants. The courses were attended by 12 students: four from Latvia, three from Turkey, one from Poland, one from Germany, one from Kazakhstan, and two students of Lithuanian origin from the United States. The participants studied Lithuanian with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Saulutė Juzelėnienė and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eglė Gabrėnaitė and explored Lithuanian culture with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rita Baranauskienė and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Saulutė Juzelėnienė.

The intensive programme combined Lithuanian language classes with cultural activities. Participants learned about Lithuania’s and Kaunas’ history, art, music, folk traditions, literature, cinema, and culinary heritage. Their interest in the courses was motivated by a desire to discover one of Europe’s oldest languages, compare it with their native languages, and learn more about the development and history of Lithuanian.

For some participants, the language classes provided an opportunity to acquire the basics of Lithuanian and communicate with teachers and fellow students using A1-level phrases by the end of the course. Others improved their existing Lithuanian skills and were able to communicate in Lithuanian during classes and excursions.

On June 19, the most important event of the academic year—a graduation ceremony—took place at the Kaunas Lutheran Holy Trinity Church. 68 bachelor’s and 49 master’s students received their diplomas at the celebration. Vilnius University bachelor’s and master’s diplomas were presented to the graduates by Vilnius University Pro-Rector for Studies Assoc. Prof. Dr. Valdas Jaskūnas and Dean of the Faculty Assoc. Prof. Dr. Giedrius Romeika.

The graduation ceremony featured an inspiring speech by Vilnius University Pro-Rector for Studies Assoc. Prof. Dr. Valdas Jaskūnas. Congratulating the graduates, the Pro-Rector emphasized that the value of the university is not limited to professional knowledge alone – it is a place where one discovers and realizes one’s true calling. V. Jaskūnas wished not to be afraid of the challenges that await in the future, to be confident in oneself and not to be afraid of changes: “The university is an immeasurable space of opportunities, which is created and changed by rebellious hopes. You need to have a very vivid imagination to call Vilnius University rebellious. Still, the paradox lies in the fact that instead of rebelling itself, it ignites rebellious hope in the heart of every student. It arises from the desire to know what is unknown, to experience what is not experienced, and to make mistakes that we will make anyway. Without it, there would be no openness to the world, to our own and others' future. However, this hope alone is not enough. It must be nurtured, transformed into a new reality, change and be changed. Therefore, use the opportunities that open up to you and be sure – you will never be ready for changes. And if you feel ready – there will be no changes.”

The guests were also congratulated by the Dean of the Vilnius University Kaunas faculty, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Giedrius Romeika. On behalf of the faculty, symbolically thanking the graduates’ family members and friends for their patience and support, he promised to return the students’ time, thoughts and emotions devoted to their studies. The dean emphasized that the VU Kaunas faculty is always open to returning: “A new stage of life begins, in which a Vilnius University diploma opens many new doors all over the world. And even though the world is getting wider, I just want to remind you of one thing – you are always welcome in our common academic home.”

Under the Lithuanian Studies Priority Implementation Program of the Research Council of Lithuania for 2025–2030, Professor Aurelija Leonavičienė of the Institute of Languages, Literature and Translation Studies, who has assembled an international team of researchers, has received funding for the scientific project “Transposition of Cultural Meanings in Translations of Lithuanian Literary Texts into English, Spanish, Italian, French, and German (1990–2026)”. The project will be implemented from 1 July 2026 and will last four years.

In the first stage of the project, a bibliographic index of translations into English, Spanish, Italian, French, and German for the period 1990–2026 will be prepared. This will be a structured, interactive and reusable digital open access database, which will serve as a basis for further research into the dynamics of the field of translations.

By examining the transposition of cultural meanings in translations into the aforementioned languages, it will be investigated how the cultural meanings of the Other in Lithuanian literature were received in translations from different countries, which translation methods and strategies were chosen by the translators. It will also aim to reveal what Lithuanian literature translations reveal about the systematic knowledge of Lithuanian culture and the representation of the Other in the cultures of translation.

From 15 to 19 June 2026, the VU Kaunas Faculty hosted the international “Erasmus+” Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) "ENGAGE+: Immersive Technologies for Customer Experience Management in Digital Business". The programme focused on exploring the application of immersive technologies and customer experience management in the context of digital business.

Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) is a short-term international learning initiative that enables students to participate in lectures and seminars, collaborate on team projects, and gain experience in an international academic environment alongside peers from different countries.

The programme brought together students from Estonia, Croatia, Poland, and the VU Kaunas Faculty who were studying Manufacturing Information Systems, International Business Management, Information Systems and Cybersecurity, and Marketing Technologies. The diversity of academic disciplines created an interdisciplinary learning environment, encouraged collaboration in international teams, and fostered interest in different fields of study and academic cultures.

We invite the community of the Kaunas Faculty of Vilnius University to discover Bridge—an intellectual card game often compared to chess. It is the only card game in the world that is officially recognised as a sport. Bridge requires strategic and logical thinking, a good memory, teamwork, and the ability to understand the logic behind your partner’s strategy.

This game originated in Great Britain in the late 19th century and is now popular worldwide among people who enjoy intellectual challenges, strategy, and social interaction. Bridge is particularly popular in university communities (such as Cambridge, Yale, and others), where it brings together enthusiasts of strategic thinking, logic, and teamwork.

If you want to learn to play Bridge or meet like-minded people, we invite you to our first meeting, led by Assoc. Prof. Dr Liepa Bikulčienė.

The meeting will take place on May 27 at 5:30 p.m. in the J. Jablonskis Auditorium.

We look forward to welcoming curious members of the Faculty community who want to try a new intellectual activity and spend their time meaningfully.

The defence of the Bachelor’s and Master‘s Theses is open to the public.

Everyone who is interested is welcome to attend the defence of the Bachelor’s study programmes:

• English and Another Foreign Language (Swedish) on 3 June 2026 at 10:00 EEST, at M. Biržiška auditorium (second floor, Building No. IV, Muitinės Str. 14);
• Audiovisual Translation on 8 June 2026 at 11:30 EEST, at M. Biržiška auditorium (second floor, Building No. IV, Muitinės Str. 14).

Everyone who is interested is welcome to attend the defence of the Master’s study programmes:

• International Business Management on 3 June 2026 at 10:00 EEST, at auditorium No 5 and at auditorium VeGa (second floor, Building No. II, Muitinės Str. 6);
• Audiovisual Translation on 8 June 2026 at 10:00 EEST, at M. Biržiška auditorium (second floor, Building No. IV, Muitinės Str. 14).

Good luck to the undergraduate and graduate students!

We look forward to seeing you at the graduation ceremony on June 19.