Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VILNIUS TECH) is a public university located in Vilnius, Lithuania. There are 10 faculties including Antanas Gustaitis Aviation Institute, Architecture, Business Management, Civil Engineering, Creative Industries, Electronics, Environmental Engineering, Fundamental Sciences, Mechanics, Transport Engineering. Scientific research and experimental development is performed by 13 institutes, 3 research centres and 23 research laboratories.
VILNIUS TECH is among the top 2.1% of universities in the world and scores highest in Lithuania in the subject areas of Architecture / Built Environment (QS Top 101-150), Business & Management (QS Top 201-250) and Economics & Econometrics (QS Top 301–350) according to QS World University Rankings by subject.[1]
History
VILNIUS TECH was founded on 1 September 1956, when the Vilnius Evening Division of the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute (now Kaunas University of Technology) was established, with Jeronimas Kudaba as the first dean. In 1960, the division was reorganized into the KPI Vilnius Evening Faculty. Aleksandras Čyras was named the Dean of the Faculty, with 500 students. In 1962, the first class of graduates completed their studies. In 1964, the Faculty of Construction Economics was added, followed in 1968 by the Faculty of Urban Construction.[3]
In 1969, the division separated from the Kaunas Polytechnic institute and became the Vilnius Civil Engineering Institute (Vilniaus inžinerinis statybos institutas), or VISI, and Čyras was named the first rector. In 1971, the Faculty of Architecture was added, and in 1987 the Faculty of Municipal Economy was established.[3]
After the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania in 1990, the Supreme Council of Lithuania decided to change the VISI into the Vilnius Technical University (VTU), with Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas as rector. After the statute of VTU was adopted in 1991, the Supreme Council approved it on 2 July 1992. VTU moved more toward a Western European university structure and featured faculties of architecture, construction, engineering communications, mechanics, and electronics.[3]
The following year, in 1993, VTU established the Aviation Institute and two more faculties, one in business management and one in fundamental sciences, along with the Faculty of Transport Engineering the following year.[3]
On 22 August 1996, the Lithuanian Government awarded the name of Gediminas, a 14th-century Grand Duke of Lithuania, to VTU, and the university became known as Vilnius Gediminas Technical University.[3]
Romualdas Ginevičius was elected rector by the VILNIUS TECH Senate in 2002. With the 2009 Law on Higher Education and Research, the Seimas of the Lithuanian Republic ordered all state-funded universities to reorganize into nonprofit organizations (Viešosios įstaigos) tasked with working in the public interest by 2011.[4] VILNIUS TECH met this requirement in 2011.
Campus
The main administration building of VILNIUS TECH in the Saulėtekis neighborhood of Vilnius.
The Saulėtekis campus is the main university campus. It houses the university's administration offices as well as the Faculties of Environmental Engineering, Fundamental Sciences, Civil Engineering and Business Management.[5] The VILNIUS TECH library, which has over 100,000 distinct titles, is located nearby at Saulėtekio al. 14.[6] The two primary VILNIUS TECH dormitories are also on Saulėtekio al., at numbers 39 A and 25.[7] The Saulėtekis campus is accessible from the Vilnius city center by the 2, 10, and 14 Vilnius trolleybuses.[8] It is also served by the 4G and 5G express buses, 18 and 38 buses, and 19 and 21 trolleybuses.
Vilnius Old Town
The Tyszkiewicz Palace in Vilnius Old Town that now houses the Faculties of Architecture and Creative Industries.
The Faculties of Architecture and Creative Industries are located at Pylimo g. 26/1 in Vilnius Old Town, in a complex which includes a historical manor belonging to the House of Tyszkiewicz.[5] The building is also the home of the VILNIUS TECH bookstore Technika. The campus is located right in the city center, just off the Trakų stop, which connects with the Vilnius Train Station via the 1G express bus; 53 bus; and 1, 2, 7, and 20 trolleybuses.[9]
Naujamiestis
The Naujamiestis eldership of Vilnius, also located in the city center, houses several faculties in two buildings. The Faculties of Mechanics and Transport Engineering are established at Basanavičiaus g. 28, while the Faculty of Electronics is located at Naugarduko g. 41.[5] The former is across the street from the Algirdo stop, which connects several crosstown trolleybus lines, including the 14, which goes all the way to the Saulėtekis campus.[10] The latter is near the Vytenio stop, which is served by the 73 bus, connecting northwestern and southwestern Vilnius neighborhoods.[11]
Naujininkai
The Antanas Gustaitis Aviation Institute is located near the Vilnius International Airport in the Naujininkai eldership in the southern part of Vilnius at Rodūnios kelias 30. It is near the Oro uostas stop, which is served by the 3G express bus as well as the 1, 2, and 88 buses, which connect the airport to the city center.[12]
The Antanas Gustaitis Aviation Institute, named after Lithuanian aviation pioneer Antanas Gustaitis, was founded in 1993 and is an Approved Training Organisation. It trains pilots, air traffic controllers, aviation engineers and others involved in aviation. The Departments of Aviation Technologies, Aviation Mechanics, and Avionics provide theoretical training for the students, while the Flight Training Unit, Air Traffic Control Unit, and Aviation Engineering Practical Training Depot provide practical training.[16] The integrated (five-year) program in aircraft piloting is offered completely in English.[17]
Faculty of Environmental Engineering
The Faculty of Environmental Engineering was founded in 1968. Currently, it is made up of seven departments, two research institutes, and three laboratories. The faculty includes 149 instructors including 21 full professors. It offers nine bachelor's degree programs and 14 master's degree programs.[18] The bachelor's program in building energetics is available completely in English, as is the master's program in environmental management and clean production.
Faculty of Architecture
The Faculty of Architecture began in Kaunas as a part of Vytautas Magnus University before becoming a part of the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute. The faculty joined what is now known as VILNIUS TECH in 1971. It is the largest school of architecture in Lithuania and has over 500 students spread across bachelor's, master's, and doctoral studies. The bachelor's program is available completely in English.[19]
Faculty of Business and Management
Founded in 1993, the Faculty of Business and Management currently has six departments. It offers bachelor's programs in English in the fields of business management and economics engineering.[20] English language master's degrees are available in the fields of business management, international business, real estate management, and sustainable real estate management. The last two are joint degrees with the Belarusian State Technological University and the Kaliningrad State Technical University, respectively.
Faculty of Civil Engineering
Faculty of Civil Engineering research center
The Faculty of Civil Engineering began in 1920 at Vytautas Magnus University. In 1969, it moved to what is now VILNIUS TECH. The faculty is the largest body at VILNIUS TECH and is the center of the university. It has ten departments and nine other research subdivisions, including laboratories and research institutes.[21] A civil engineering bachelor's program is available in English, as is an innovative road and bridge engineering joint master's degree offered with Riga Technical University.[22]
Faculty of Creative Industries
The Faculty of Creative Industries is the newest faculty at VILNIUS TECH. In addition to providing a lot of the general education lectures in social sciences and the humanities as well as foreign language instruction, the faculty has two bachelor's degree programs and one master's degree program. The two bachelor's degree programs are in creative industries and entertainment industries, while the master's degree is in creative communication. Currently, none of the degree programs are available entirely in English, but two semesters of the creative industries bachelor's degree is offered in English.[23]
Faculty of Electronics
The Faculty of Electronics traces its history to 1961, though it became a full-time department of what would become VILNIUS TECH only in 1987.[24] It is split into five departments: automation, electrical engineering, electronic systems, computer engineering, and telecommunications engineering. It offers study programs at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels.[23] Bachelor's programs in computer engineering and telecommunications engineering, as well as a master's program in electrical energetics systems engineering are all available in English.
The Faculty of Mechanics is one of the oldest in the university, having been founded in 1956. It is made up of five departments, mechanical engineering, biomechanics, materials science and welding, mechatronics and robotics, and printing machines; and three research subdivisions, the Welding Research and Diagnostics Scientific Laboratory, the Research Laboratory of Vibroacoustics and Diagnostics, and the Institute of Mechanical Science.[26] Study programs in English include the bachelor's programs in mechanics engineering and in mechatronics and robotics. The faculty also offers a joint master's degree program in mechatronics with the Braunschweig University of Technology.
Faculty of Transport Engineering
The Faculty of Transport Engineering was founded in 1994. It is made up of four departments and three research subunits. It publishes the scholarly journal Transport.[27]
Other Research Bodies
VILNIUS TECH has two research centers, the university-wide, interdisciplinary Civil Engineering Research Center, and the Competence Center of Intermodal Transport and Logistics, attached to the Faculty of Transport Engineering.[28]
The university also boasts 14 research institutes. The interdisciplinary Scientific Institute of Thermal Insulation investigates means of creating building materials that insulate both heat and sound. At the faculty level, the Research Institutes of Smart Building Technologies, the Research Institute of Building Structures, and the Research Institute of Building Materials and Products all belong to the Faculty of Civil Engineering. The Research Institutes of Environmental Protection, the Road Research Institute, the Research Institute of Territorial Planning, and the Research Institute of Geodesy belong to the Faculty of Environmental Engineering. The Transport Research Institute belongs to the Faculty of Transport Engineering. The Institute of Applied Computer Science belongs to the Faculty of Fundamental Sciences. The Institute of Mechanical Science belongs to the Faculty of Mechanics. The Institute of Architecture belongs to the Faculty of Architecture. Finally, the Research Institute for Telecommunications and the Institute of High Magnetic Fields belong to the Faculty of Electronics.[29]
At the university level, VILNIUS TECH has 12 research laboratories. Four are related to the Scientific Institute of Thermal Insulation, and 8 belong to the Civil Engineering Research Center. Scattered throughout the rest of the university are 21 other research laboratories at both the faculty and department levels.[30]
Administration
The 5th Rector of VILNIUS TECH, Romualdas Kliukas
Since 2021, the Rector of VILNIUS TECH is Romualdas Kliukas. He succeeded the third rector of the university, Adolfas Daniūnas, who had been rector since 2011. The first rector of the university was Aleksandras Čyras, who headed the university from its formal establishment in 1969 to 1990. He was succeeded by Edmundas Zavadskas.
The Rectorate is made up of a Vice-Rector for International Relations, a Vice-Rector for Strategic Development, a Vice-Rector for Research, a Vice-Rector for Studies, and a Chancellor. The current chancellor is Vaidotas Trinkūnas.
Research Publication
The Vilnius Gediminas Technical University Press (VILNISU TECH Press) publishes around 100 publications annually. In 2010, VILNISU TECH Press was the first press in Lithuania to launch an e-books site for their publications.[31]
Six of VILNIUS TECH Press's journals are published open access with a Creative Commons CC BY-NC 4.0 license: Business: Theory and Practice, Coactivity: Philosophy, Communication, Coactivity: Philology, Educology, Science — Future of Lithuania, Business, Management and Education, and Aviation technologies.[31]
Student Activities
VILNIUS TECH offers several extracurricular activities for its students, including the choir Gabija, the theater group Palėpė, and the Lithuanian folk dance group Vingis.[32][33]
The VILNIUS TECH student representatives organization features 300 volunteers who act as liaisons between the university and the student body.[34] Similarly, the international ERASMUS students are served by the VILNIUS TECH chapter of the Erasmus Student Network.[35]
International cooperation
In 2023, Antanas Gustaitis Aviation Institute of VILNIUS TECH joined the international PEGASUS network of aerospace engineering universities.[36][37]
Alumni
The Vilnius Civil Engineering Institute (VISI), as VILNIUS TECH was known until the re-establishment of the Republic of Lithuania, has produced many high-profile alumni in Lithuania.
In the creative arts, composer and rock pioneer Kęstutis Antanėlis and musician Andrius Mamontovas attended the university. In 1971, Antanėlis staged a production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Vilnius Art Academy, only the second production of the show in the world, and was expelled from VISI in response.[43] Mamontovas, on the other hand, felt pressure from his father to study a "serious" subject, like engineering. After his time in the Soviet Army, however, Mamontovas reconsidered and left VISI to study journalism at Vilnius University.[44]
Related Research Articles
Vilnius is the capital of and largest city in Lithuania and the second most populous city in the Baltic states. As of January 2024, Vilnius' estimated population was 602,430, and the Vilnius urban area which extends beyond the city limits had an estimated population of 708,627.
The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology is a public research university located in Haifa, Israel. Established in 1912 under the dominion of the Ottoman Empire, the Technion is the oldest university in the country.
Vilnius University is a public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher education institutions in Central and Eastern Europe. Today, it is Lithuania's leading research institution, ranked among the Top 29% Higher Education Institutions in the world.
The Florida Institute of Technology is a private research university in Melbourne, Florida. The university comprises four academic colleges: Engineering & Science, Aeronautics, Psychology & Liberal Arts, and Business.Approximately half of FIT's students are enrolled in the College of Engineering & Science. The university's 130-acre primary residential campus is near the Melbourne Orlando International Airport and the Florida Tech Research Park. The campus is located 16 miles from Patrick Space Force Base. The university was founded in 1958 as Brevard Engineering College to provide advanced education for professionals working in the U.S. space program at the Kennedy Space Center and Space Launch Delta 45 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Since 1966, when it combined the Institute of Technology (FIT) following University of Central Florida's name change, FIT has gone by its current name Florida Tech. In 2021, Florida Tech had an on-campus student body of 5,693 between its Melbourne Campus, Melbourne Sites, and Education Centers, as well as 3,623 students enrolled in their online programs, almost equally divided between graduate and undergraduate students with the majority focusing their studies on engineering and the sciences. Florida Tech is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".
Established in 1918, Tallinn University of Technology is the only technical university in Estonia. TalTech, in the capital city of Tallinn, is a university for engineering, business, public administration and maritime affairs. TalTech has colleges in Tartu and Kohtla-Järve. Despite the similar names, Tallinn University and Tallinn University of Technology are separate institutions.
Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) is a public university in Kaunas, Lithuania. The university was founded in 1922 during the interwar period as an alternate national university.
Nanotechnology education involves a multidisciplinary natural science education with courses such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, and molecular biology. It is being offered by many universities around the world. The first program involving nanotechnology was offered by the University of Toronto's Engineering Science program, where nanotechnology could be taken as an option.
The University of Bialystok is the largest university in the north-eastern region of Poland, educating in various fields of study, including humanities, social and natural sciences and mathematics. It has nine faculties, including a foreign one in Vilnius. Four faculties have been awarded the highest scientific category “A”. The University of Bialystok has the right to confer doctoral degrees in ten fields, as well as postdoctoral degrees in law, economics, chemistry, biology, history and physics.
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) is the state agricultural university of Tamil Nadu located in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India.
The Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture – better known under its former name Kyiv Civil Engineering Institute – is the largest and most important building and architectural university of Ukraine located in the nation's capital, Kyiv.
Kaunas University of Technology is a public research university located in Kaunas, Lithuania. Established in 1922, KTU has been seen as one of Lithuania's top science education centers. According to rankings conducted in 2021, KTU was the second-best university in Lithuania. The primary language spoken in courses is Lithuanian, although there are courses that are taught jointly in Lithuanian and English or solely in English.
Klaipėda University is a university in the Lithuanian port city of Klaipėda.
Antanas Gustaitis was a Brigadier General in the Lithuanian Armed Forces who modernized the Lithuanian Air Force, which at that time was part of the Lithuanian Army. He was the architect or aeronautical engineer who undertook the task to design and construct several military trainers and reconnaissance aircraft.
European Humanities University is a private, non-profit liberal arts university founded in Minsk, Belarus, in 1992. Following its forced closure by the Belarusian authorities in 2004, EHU relocated to Vilnius (Lithuania) and thus continues its operations as a private university.
Uzhhorod National University is a Ukrainian state higher educational institution in the city of Uzhhorod in Ukraine.
State University "Kyiv Aviation Institute" is a public aviation university in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Indian Institute of Technology Patna is a centrally funded technical institute (CFTI) located at Bihta near Patna, Bihar (India). It is recognized as an Institute of National Importance by the Government of India. It is one of the second generation IITs established by an Act of the Indian Parliament on August 6, 2008.
The Indian Institute of Technology Mandi is one of eight new Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).
Jonas Kubilius was a Lithuanian mathematician who worked in probability theory and number theory. He was rector of Vilnius University for 32 years, and served one term in the Lithuanian parliament.
Algirdas Butkevičius is a Lithuanian politician and was Prime Minister of Lithuania, serving between 2012 and 2016. He also served as the Minister of Finance from 2004 to 2005 and the Minister of Transport and Communications from 2006 to 2008. He led the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania from 2009 to 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
