€1.2M Donation by Irena and Algirdas Juozapavičius: Son’s Sub-Fund Doubled, Support for Political Science

Philanthropist Irena Juozapavičienė has donated €1.2 million to the Vilnius University (VU) Endowment Fund. This contribution comes from her personal funds and the estate of her late husband, Algirdas Juozapavičius (1948–2025), a well-known Lithuanian doctor of physical sciences.

An amount of €1 million has been allocated to double the sub-fund named after their son, Mantvydas Juozapavičius (1976–2023). €100,000 each has been designated for the VU Institute of International Relations and Political Science (IIRPS) sub-fund and for strengthening the VU Foundation organization.

“This exceptional patronage by the family of Irena and Algirdas Juozapavičius sensitively and meaningfully commemorates the memory of their son, who pursued an academic path. The family’s philanthropy sends an important message to society, opening new opportunities for the community of students and researchers at Vilnius University,” says VU Rector Prof. Rimvydas Petrauskas.

Prof. Rimvydas Petrauskas, Irena Juozapavičienė, prof. Margarita Šešelgytė, Justinas Noreika, dr. Vilius Mačkinis (Ugnius Bagdonavičius photo)

In 2024, Irena and Algirdas Juozapavičius established a €1 million endowment sub-fund in memory of their son, Mantvydas Juozapavičius (1976–2023). The investment returns from this sub-fund support various initiatives connected to his life, studies, and professional path. Following the new contribution, the sub-fund has doubled in size, and so has its impact.

According to Justinas Noreika, CEO of the VU Foundation, the sub-fund plans to further strengthen already supported initiatives, including the Mantvydas Juozapavičius Scholarship, support for the VU IIRPS Young Political Scientists School, the Civic Leadership Scholarship, the attraction of talented early-career researchers, and opportunities for postdoctoral researchers at the VU Life Sciences Center to undertake internships and research visits.

Mantvydas Juozapavičius (1976–2023)

The €100,000 contribution by Irena and Algirdas  Juozapavičius to the VU IIRPS sub-fund will enable full-scale operations to begin as early as next year. Investment returns will generate tangible benefits for the institute’s community and will be allocated to scholarships, postdoctoral mobility funding, and talent attraction initiatives, strengthening the institute’s academic capacity and competitiveness.

“We are sincerely grateful to philanthropists Irena and the late Algirdas Juozapavičius for their trust in IIRPS and their decision to invest in the Institute’s future. Their €100,000 contribution to the VU IIRPS endowment sub-fund will help strengthen student opportunities and the academic community, and will create even better conditions for a new generation of state leaders to emerge,” says Prof. Margarita Šešelgytė, Director of VU IIRPS.

Mantvydas Juozapavičius (1976–2023) was an active Lithuanian public figure, known for his broad education and professional experience in information management and genealogy. He studied at Vilnius Lyceum and at Vilnius University’s Institute of International Relations and Political Science and Faculty of Communication, and furthered his studies at Rice University and the University of Illinois and University of Michigan in the United States. He worked as an assistant at the Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania, served as an election observer in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and worked as a freelance information management and data analysis specialist.