The Lithuanian Energy Institute, as a member of the European Association of Research and Technology Organisations (EARTO), invites you to take note of the Joint Statement of the European Associations on the content and budget of the European Union’s future new Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10).
In brief:
EARTO – European Association of Research and Technology Organisations along with its research and industrial partners representing key European Research & Innovation stakeholders have published a 4th Joint Statement for an ambitious FP10. The 110 European Associations signatories of this Joint Statement urge EU Institutions to significantly increase the FP10 budget and prioritise pan-European collaborative research to meet industrial needs.
Key Focus Areas:
- Cross-border RD&I: Enhance EU competitiveness with strong industrial participation.
- Pillar II: Allocate significant budget, driven by strategic priorities and industrial needs.
Pillar II is Crucial to:
- Build trust-based public-private partnerships
- Reduce risk and stimulate private investments in Europe
Europe must invest in collaborative RD&I to foster innovation, drive technology maturation, and strengthen its global competitiveness.
Acquire new skills, become part of a team of experts and work with the latest world-class scientific equipment – Internship at the Lithuanian Energy Institute offers many opportunities in the world of Science.
Flexible timetable for internships during the summer is also available. Students from Lithuania, Italy, the United Arab Emirates and France are currently interning at the Institute. Simon Tixier, a student at the Polytech Orléans Engineering School, France, is doing his internship at the LEI Laboratory of Combustion Processes: “During my internship at the Lithuanian Energy Institute, I am working on plasma-assisted combustion, where I collect, process, and analyze experimental data. I enjoy being involved in the entire process, which gives me a real sense of contribution and a deeper understanding, rather than just crunching numbers all day. The people are also nice and welcoming, making it easy for me to fit in and enjoy my work.”, says the intern.
Internships at LEI are open to students studying or graduating with a Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in fields relevant to energy research. In the academic year 2023-2024, 22 students from varied study programs as Materials Physics and Nanotechnology, Industrial Biotechnology, Applied Chemistry, Applied Mathematics, Applied Physics, Multimedia Technologies, Information Systems, Mechanical Engineering, Economics and Management, etc., completed internships at LEI.
Start with an internship at the Lithuanian Energy Institute: study@lei.lt
EUROfusion says hello from Kaunas, the second-largest city of Lithuania! Members of EUROfusion gathered here for General Assembly, the quarterly meeting of the decision-making body of our European consortium for fusion research. Here we discuss our progress towards realising fusion energy.
The fusion group at LEI does important work in EUROfusion consortium. They perform safety and reliability analyses for the future European demonstration fusion power plant DEMO, as well as study the effect of fast neutron particles and energy emission in existing machines like the Joint European Torus JET and the materials research facility IFMIF-DONES.
“As a group of 15 researchers, we of course have to specialise, but that does not mean we work alone”, says dr. Egidijus Urbonavičius, the head of the Lithuanian fusion research group. “Being part of EUROfusion lets us participate in a world-class research programme, gives access to European fusion machines and the fusion research community, and lets us make an impact on the way to achieve fusion electricity.”
At the beginning of the event, Chairman of the Research Council of Lithuania dr. Gintaras Valinčius and director of the Lithuanian Energy Institute dr. Sigitas Rimkevičius said welcome remarks.
“EUROfusion consortium implements the major Horizon Europe project in fusion energy research. The Lithuanian Energy Institute is proud to be part of the EUROfusion consortium and contribute to the development of fusion energy – sustainable, low-carbon energy source. We believe that this GA meeting will provide an additional impulse for the LEI to be more active in this important future energy research field”, says dr. Sigitas Rimkevičius.
On June 25-28, the doctoral student of the Laboratory of Nuclear Installation Safety, Justina Jaseliūnaitė, participated in the international scientific conference “19th OpenFOAM Workshop”, held in Beijing, China. The conference brought together researchers working in the field of numerical modeling and using OpenFOAM software.
The researcher gave a presentation at the turbulence modeling session and won the best presentation award. Congratulations!
On 28 June 2024, Vida Brazaitis, Chair of the Board of the Vydunas Youth Fund (USA), visited the Lithuanian Energy Institute. During the visit, the Director of the Institute, Sigitas Rimkevičius, and Vida Brazaitis renewed the contract of the Prof. Romas Viskanta Award for five years.
On this occasion, the Vydunas Youth Fund was awarded the LEI Commemorative Gold Medal for the establishment of the Award and for its many years of financial support to the most active young researchers of the Lithuanian Energy Institute.
During her visit, Vida Brazaitis met with the young scientists of LEI – the winners of the Fund’s prizes in previous years, who introduced the guest to the Institute’s infrastructure and research activities.
The Prof. Romas Viskanta Award is awarded to LEI young scientists and PhD students who are active in the fields of thermal physics, gas and fluid dynamics, renewable, nuclear, fusion and general energy and who have achieved significant scientific results. Candidates must be active in social, civic and cultural activities in various organisations and in the dissemination of scientific information.
From 2011 to 2023, 21 young researchers have been awarded the prizes at LEI.
In June 18-19, 2024, a HEC-RAS river hydrodynamic modeling training was conducted by ICEREG project partners LGVMC (Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Centre).
The “ICEREG” (Ice-jam flood risk management in Latvian and Lithuanian regions with respect to climate change) project aims to enhance the management of ice-jam flood risk by developing comprehensive flood maps and refining the conceptual model of ice-jam flood formation, particularly in the context of climate change. Hydrodynamic modeling of the selected pilot rivers is required to assess the areas inundated by ice jam floods. For this purpose, both Latvian and Lithuanian experts chose the 1-D digital model HEC-RAS. Latvian experts have extensive experience in modeling the hydrodynamic regime of Latvian rivers. During the training, experts shared both theoretical insights and practical knowledge on how to use this model for the rivers of Northern Lithuania. During the two-day training, LEI researchers learned how to prepare initial data for modeling, familiarized themselves with the features of the software, and performed hydrodynamic modeling of a specific river.
The Project is funded by the European Union’s Interreg VI-A Latvia–Lithuania Programme 2021–2027
More information: https://www.lei.lt/en/projektas/icereg/
29-30 May. Dr Sigitas Rimkevičius, Director of the LEI, participated in the 1st meeting of the General Assembly of the European Industrial Alliance on Small Modular Reactors organised by the European Commission. The Alliance was set up by the European Commission in cooperation with SNETP and nucleareurope. The Alliance was very well attended, with 240 representatives attending the General Assembly in person and another 140 joining remotely. The Alliance aims to accelerate the development, demonstration and deployment of the first Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in Europe by the early 2030s. The Alliance will develop a technology roadmap by the end of 2024 and a strategic action plan by Q1 2025.
The Alliance has 277 members, including the Lithuanian Energy Institute. A total of 24 MMR projects have been proposed, covering 5 technologies. The Alliance will operate through projects targeting specific selected MMR. Project promoters will submit detailed project descriptions by the end of June this year. The Alliance Board will assess and select suitable projects by September 2024, for which project teams will be established. The selected projects will be supported by eight Alliance technical working groups. In order to ensure the efficient operation and management of the working groups, it is recommended that each Alliance member participates in no more than 2-3 working groups. Four working groups will start in June this year and the others no later than October this year. The Lithuanian Energy Institute has requested to be involved in the MMR Technical Working Groups on Technology, Research and Innovation, Nuclear Safety and Waste Management.
On 18 June, 2024, Jean Caro, Economic Adviser to the French Ministry of Finance for the Baltic States, visited the Lithuanian Energy Institute. The meeting was also attended by Amélie Taillandier, trainee in the Economic Section of the French Embassy in Lithuania, and Aurelija Smaliukienė, representative of the Embassy’s Baltic Economic Service.
During the meeting guests were introduced to LEI’s activities and competences, Lithuanian energy strategy and a number of other topical questions were discussed. An on-site tour of LEI’s infrastructure and facilities was organized.
From June 8-12, 2024, the annual meeting of the European Atomic Energy Society took place in Aix en Provence, France. During the meeting, the energy issues and perspectives of member countries were presented, challenges in the nuclear fuel supply chain and nuclear development were reviewed, and achievements and challenges of the nuclear fusion program were shared. Representatives of LEI, Dr. Sigitas Rimkevičius and Dr. Rolandas Urbonas, participated in the meeting.
The European Atomic Energy Society was founded on June 15, 1954, at the Royal Society in London. The founding countries of the society are Belgium, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Norway, France, Sweden, and Switzerland. In the 1990s, Lithuania, along with the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland, and Slovenia, joined the society. At the beginning of this century, Latvia and Estonia also joined the society. This year, the society celebrates its 70th anniversary. The 2001 society meeting was held in Lithuania, and during the 2001-2002 period, the president of the European Atomic Energy Society was academician Jurgis Vilemas.
Lithuanian Energy Institute announces a competition for Admission to state-funded full-time doctoral studies in the fields of Energetics and Power Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Economics.
📆 Submission of applications: 5 – 20 (till 1 p.m.) June, 2024
📆 Motivational interviews: 26-28 June, 2024
📆 Notification of applicants about the competition results: 2 July, 2024, 4.30 p. m.
Doctoral research topics and admission procedure:
https://www.lei.lt/en/phd-studies/admission-to-phd-studies/
