Abstract
This chapter focuses on the question of how the Lithuanian higher education sector contributes to research, development, and innovation in Lithuania. The Lithuanian case is interesting in two regards: On the one hand, the country has been undergoing rapid economic, political, and societal transformation after restoration of independence from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and is currently one of the fastest-growing economies in the European Union. On the other hand, the country faces negative demographic trends and rapidly decreasing student numbers, which has led to increasing competition between higher education institutions and a consolidation of the higher education sector in the past years. The chapter provides an overview of policies and strategies as well as an evaluation of the innovation capacity of Lithuania, which includes comparisons with the two other Baltic States, Estonia and Latvia, and a positioning in the European Union context. We then present the key characteristics of the Lithuanian higher education system and discuss its contribution to research, development, and innovation and the so-called learning society in the country.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Binkauskas, G. (2012). Academic entrepreneurship: Barriers and fears versus wishes and opportunities. International Journal of Technology Management & Sustainable Development, 11(3), 231–244.
Delfi. (2019, July 30). Sporto ir Sveikatos universitetai jungiami nebus, VGTU ir MRU jungtuvės – atidedamos (Sports and Health universities will not be connected, VGTU and MRU connection will be postponed). https://www.delfi.lt/news/daily/lithuania/sporto-ir-sveikatos-universitetai-jungiami-nebus-vgtu-ir-mru-jungtuves-atidedamos.d?id=81864589
Diena. (2020, January 12). Vyriausybė atsisakė MRU ir VGTU sujungimo idėjos (The government abandoned the idea of merging MRU and VGTU). https://www.diena.lt/naujienos/vilnius/miesto-pulsas/vgtu-ir-mru-jungimo-plano-bus-atsisakyta-952348
European Commission. (2018a). Education and training monitor 2018 – Lithuania. https://ec.europa.eu/education/sites/education/files/document-library-docs/et-monitor-report-2018-lithuania_en.pdf. Accessed 28 Jan 2019.
European Commission. (2018b). European Innovation Scoreboard2018 – Country report Lithuania.https://ec.europa.eu/docsroom/documents/30690. Accessed 14 Dec 2018.
European Commission. (2019). European structural and investment funds – Programme Description Lithuania. https://cohesiondata.ec.europa.eu/programmes/2014LT16MAOP001. Accessed 29 Jan 2019.
European Migration Network Lithuania. (2018). Migracijos tendencijos (Migration tendencies). http://123.emn.lt. Accessed 28 Jan 2019.
Eurostat. (2018a). Governmentdebt slightly up to 86.8% of GDPin euro area. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/9087362/2-20072018-AP-EN.pdf/d9ca7f92-ea01-4a6d-a6d1-f64445be272a. Accessed 28 Jan 2019.
Eurostat. (2018b). Real GDPgrowth rate – Volume. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tec00115. Accessed 28 Jan 2019.
Eurostat. (2020a). Science, technology and innovation: Visualisations. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/science-technology-innovation/visualisations. Accessed 15 Dec 2018.
Eurostat. (2020b). Intramural R6D expenditure (GERD) by source of funds. https://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=rd_e_gerdfund&lang=en. Accessed 27 Apr 2020.
Eurostat. (2020c). Intramural R&D expenditure (GERD) by sectors of performance. http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=rd_e_gerdtot&lang=en. Accessed 27 Apr 2020.
Jucevičienė, P., & Karenauskaitė, V. (2003). Learning society for the solution of problems in the knowledge economy: What is the university role and possibilities? Socialiniai mokslai, 5(42), 34–41.
Leišytė, L., & Rose, A.-L. (2016). The challenges of attracting and retaining academic talent. Central and Eastern European perspectives. Journal of the European Higher Education Area, 2016(04), 61–82.
Leišytė, L., Rose, A. L., & Schimmelpfennig, E. (2018). Lithuanian higher education: Between path dependence and change. In A. Smolentseva, J. Huisman, & I. Froumin (Eds.), 25 Years of transformations of higher education systems in post-Soviet countries: Reform and continuity (pp. 285–310). Palgrave.
Leišytė, L., Rose, A. L., & Želvys, R. (2019). Higher education reforms in Lithuania: Two decades after Bologna. In B. Broucker, K. De Wit, J. C. Verhoeven, & L. Leišytė (Eds.), Higher education system reform: An international comparison after twenty years of Bologna (pp. 179–195). Brill Sense.
Leišytė, L., & Van Hoed, M. (2013). ‘Exploration of the implementation of the principles for innovative doctoral training in Europe’ – Study visit toVilnius University, Lithuania. Report prepared for the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission. Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS), University of Twente/IDEA Consult.
Leišytė, L., Vilkas, M., Staniškienė, E., & Žostautienė, D. (2017). Balancing countervailing processes at a Lithuanian university. The Learning Organization, 24(5), 327–339.
OECD. (2016). OECD reviews of innovation policy: Lithuania 2016. OECD Publishing.
Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania (Lietuvos Republikos Seimas). (2016). Resolution on the approval of policy changes in Lithuanian science and innovationpolicies (Resolution No. XII-2654). https://e-seimas.lrs.lt/portal/legalAct/lt/TAD/ee181db0861211e6a0f68fd135e6f40c?jfwid=q8i88ls5l
Rose, A.-L., & Leišytė, L. (2017). Integrating in¬ter¬na¬tio¬nal academic staff into the local academic context in Lithuania and Estonia. In M. Yudkevich, P. G. Altbach & L. E. Rumbley (Hrsg.), International faculty in higher education: Comparative perspectives on recruitment, integration, and impact(pp. 101–123). New York: Routledge.
Statistics Lithuania. (2017). Researchand development activities in Lithuania. https://osp.stat.gov.lt/services-portlet/pub-edition-file?id=31864. Accessed 28 Jan 2019.
Statistics Lithuania. (2019a). Education, culture and sports in Lithuania (edition 2019):Higher education. https://osp.stat.gov.lt/lietuvos-svietimas-kultura-ir-sportas/lietuvos-svietimas-kultura-ir-sportas-2019/aukstasis-mokslas. Accessed 27 Apr 2020.
Statistics Lithuania. (2019b). Statistical yearbook of Lithuania (edition 2019): Science. https://osp.stat.gov.lt/lietuvos-statistikos-metrastis/lsm-2019/mokslas-ir-technologijos/mokslas. Accessed 5 May 2020.
Štreimikienė, D. (2014). The impact of research and development for business innovations in Lithuania. Amfiteatru Economic Journal, 16(37), 965–979.
The World Bank. (2003). Lithuania: Aiming for aknowledge economy. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/694971468753015485/Lithuania-Aiming-for-a-knowledge-economy
Valstybės kontrolė. (2017). Investicijos į mokslinius tyrimus ir eksperimentinę plėtrą nedavė laukiamų rezultatų (Investment in research and experimental development has not produced the expected results). https://www.vkontrole.lt/pranesimas_spaudai.aspx?id=23182
Želvys. (2007). Goals of quality in doctoral studies and forecasted outcomes. Aukštojo mokslo kokybė/The Quality of Higher Education, 2007(4), 10–20.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Leišytė, L., Rose, AL., Želvys, R., Pekşen, S. (2021). The Role of Universities in the Knowledge-Based Society in Lithuania. In: Aarrevaara, T., Finkelstein, M., Jones, G.A., Jung, J. (eds) Universities in the Knowledge Society. The Changing Academy – The Changing Academic Profession in International Comparative Perspective, vol 22. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76579-8_12
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76579-8_12
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-76578-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-76579-8
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)