Category: Cooperation

  • Shaping the Future of Photonics: Phorwards21 Reaches Key Mid-Term Milestone

    Shaping the Future of Photonics: Phorwards21 Reaches Key Mid-Term Milestone

    20 representatives from research and industry organizations across Europe gathered for the Phorwards21 Mid-Term Review Meeting on 23rd of June in Munich. The event served as a key milestone in evaluating the project’s progress in strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy in photonics and advancing photonics-driven innovation in critical end-user industries, such as Health, Agriculture & Food, as well as Space and Manufacturing industries.

    Launched under the Horizon Europe framework, Phorwards21 brings together a pan-European consortium working to establish a cohesive photonics research and innovation (R&I) strategy that supports future EU missions, economic competitiveness, and global leadership in next-generation technologies. The main focus areas are:

    • Advancing European Strategic Autonomy. Making strong progress in defining community-backed photonics R&I priorities for the 2026–2027 Horizon Europe calls. Discussions with Member States are ongoing aiming for strategic alignment within European Union.
    • Regional and National Engagement. Integrating photonics solutions across regional and national ecosystems. The consortium summarized the regional development priorities from four organized cluster workshops where application and photonics clusters from the regions were working together to determine regional priorities. The project will seek to identify and coordinate EU-funded cooperation opportunities, to facilitate targeted cross-border collaboration.
    • Boosting Photonics Innovation and Investment. Identification of photonics startup ecosystem. An explicit study on European startups was conducted that allows to analyse the ecosystem and support photonics start-ups through the Photonics21 Innovation Award, workshops Photonics4Applications with targeted end users, as well as Tech Tour Photonics.

    RTO Lithuania, as a key stakeholder in this initiative, continues to support collaborative excellence and strategic foresight within the European research and innovation landscape and invites everyone to the upcoming Photonics4AgriFood workshop embeded within the forum-exhibition EKOAgrITech.

  • Lithuanian Energy Institute and Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry Join Historic MIT Cooperation Agreement

    Lithuanian Energy Institute and Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry Join Historic MIT Cooperation Agreement

    Two members of RTO Lithuania – Lithuanian Energy Institute and the Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry – are among the key partners in a groundbreaking cooperation agreement signed with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on January 28, 2024, at the Presidential Palace of the Republic of Lithuania.

    The agreement establishes the MIT-Lithuania Seed Fund, which will promote cutting-edge research collaborations between MIT faculty and Lithuanian researchers. The $900,000 initiative, spread over three years, is part of the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) programme.

    As consortium members, both institutes will participate in various forms of cooperation, including joint scientific research, technology projects, innovation development, and international mobility of researchers. The partnership aims to address key areas such as renewable energy, sustainable environment, and agro-innovation.

    The Lithuanian Energy Institute was represented at the signing ceremony by its Director, Prof. Dr. Saulius Gudžius, who also participated in a panel discussion titled Partnership between Lithuania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: preparing to play in the top league.

    This historic collaboration positions Lithuania to become a regional leader in science and innovative solutions, while strengthening the country’s transatlantic ties and increasing its visibility in the international arena.