A call for early-career researchers: “My First Research Team”

Vytautas Magnus University announces a call “My First Research Team” which is addressed to 9 early‑career researchers – Principal investigators (PI). The announced call creates conditions for nine researchers to establish their first independent research groups and implement independent research projects.

Eligible applicants must hold a PhD obtained within the last seven years (maternity, paternity and parental leave, as well as periods of long‑term incapacity for work, are not counted). To receive funding, the applicant must not have acted as a Principal Investigator in projects financed by the Research Council of Lithuania under the following measures and/or programmes (the link below refers to more detailed information about the call).

Selected applicants will be invited to sign a 3-year employment contract, with funding of up to 350 thousand euros allocated for the implementation of their research project (projects will start no later than September 1, 2026). The research directions of the projects should be related to the priority areas of Lithuania’s Smart Specialization.

Applicants are invited to propose an original and independent research project under nine thematic areas:

• Health Literacy Technologies and Innovations in the Digital Society: The Role of Digital Solutions in Enhancing Health Literacy and Reducing Informational Inequalities.
• Metagenomic Studies for Early Biological Threat Surveillance.
• Research on the effects of pulsed electric fields on cells and tissues and their applications in biotechnology and medicine.
• Preservation of bioresources quality through advanced agrobiotechnology solutions.
• Holistic assessment of the integration of bioplastics and other biodegradable materials into biogas production systems.
• Methods and tools for improving large language models in Lithuanian.
• The role of audiovisual media innovations in enhancing the strategic marketing competitiveness of sport organizations in the global market.
• Democratic hybrid spaces: audiovisual innovations, futures of communities and ecosystemic imagination in the face of crises.
• The impact of autonomous agricultural engineering technologies on sustainable farming.

Applications should be submitted till 8 November 2026, 23:59 (EET) filling in the Research Proposal form.  

More detailed information about the call is announced in the Euraxess Portal.

Personal data of applicants will be processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation for the purposes of administering the call, communicating with applicants regarding the call, and evaluating applications. The data will be stored only for as long as necessary to fulfil these purposes. Provision of personal data is voluntary, and applicants have the right to withdraw their consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent prior to its withdrawal.

“My First Research Team” is a programme financed by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of Lithuania (Progress Measure No. 12-003-03-06-01 “Improving the Research and Study Environment: Enhancing the Attractiveness of Researchers’ Careers and Promoting Brain Circulation – My First Research Team”), supported by the Research Council of Lithuania and aimed at early-career researchers. The programme provides an opportunity for early‑career researchers to establish and lead their own research team, develop R&D activities, achieve intended outcomes, engage in international collaboration, and pursue a scientific career.