EURORDIS-Rare Diseases Europe, which unites 956 rare disease organizations from 73 countries, that are working together to improve the lives of the 30 million people living with a rare disease, has been awarding the Black Pearl Award for almost a decade. For the achievements in the creation and development of the European Reference Networks, this year the Black Pearl Statue was awarded to Dr Birutė Tumienė, a researcher from the Department of Human and Medical Genetics of the Vilnius University Faculty of Medicine.

On February 27, the students of Vilnius University Life Sciences Centre (VU LSC) are organizing the International Conference of Life Sciences THE COINS 2021.

Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), in accordance with the most innovative global universities, has approved the 2021-2023 sustainable activities strategy.

Last week, the National Culture and Art Prizes were awarded to the dignitaries of Lithuanian culture and art. Among the winners is architect Gintaras Balčytis, Associate Professor at Kaunas University of Technology Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture. Balčytis was awarded for the architecture, which is open for the city and people.

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a global health crisis. This was announced on 30 January 2020 by the World Health Organization, which stated that the outbreak was a public health crisis of international importance. The crisis also caused fears of an impending economic downturn. The situation has been analysed by national governments, international organizations and scientists.

The world’s largest laboratory for particle physics, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), provides new opportunities for Lithuanian students to lead in interdisciplinary teams and to access unique technologies and resources. With the recent signing of a new cooperation agreement between CERN and Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), KTU students will be able to participate in the Challenge-Based Innovation programme organised by CERN’s IdeaSquare unit.

The Alliance4Life life science alliance, which unites 10 European research institutions including Vilnius University, received EUR 2 million in funding this year for implementation of the A4L_ACTIONS Horizon 2020 project.

Next Tuesday, 23 February, at 4 pm CET, Dr Inga Hilbig, from Vilnius University, will be giving an online lecture about Lithuanians and their culture.

Arguably, the biggest challenge associated with the remote studies is staying disciplined while all the classes are online. When you go to a conventional classroom class, you're already "stuck" there for the period of time, so you might as well pay attention, take notes and get something out of it. But for an online class, which can be taken at your own convenience, there may be a temptation to get distracted from the material being presented to you.

“Makeademy” – the first makers’ academy in Lithuania just ended, and the winner’s title came to the “Water Shield” team. The “Water Shield” team leaders, international students from Sakartvelo – Marina Gudzhabidze, Shorena Gudzhabidze and Dea Ilarionova, came to Vilnius Gediminas technical university (VILNIUS TECH) to study Civil Engineering and Computer Engineering. Even before coming to Lithuania, the girls had in mind the idea, addressing one of the biggest problems of the 21st century – natural pollution.