Vizbaras Brothers Donate €0.5 Million, Expressing Respect and Gratitude for Science

Scientists and entrepreneurs, brothers Augustinas, Kristijonas, and Dominykas Vizbaras, have donated €0.5 million to the Vilnius University (VU) Endowment Fund. This philanthropic contribution will increase the VU Foundation‘s unrestricted capital, whose investment returns are used to fund talented early-career researchers at VU.

According to Justinas Noreika, CEO of the VU Foundation, the endowment fund, currently managing an investment portfolio of more than €20 million, will increase its unrestricted capital to €5 million following the new donation. More than €15 million is managed as restricted capital across named and faculty sub-funds.

Philanthropists Augustinas Vizbaras, Kristijonas Vizbaras, VU Rector Prof. Rimvydas Petrauskas, philanthropist Dominykas Vizbaras, and VU Foundation CEO Justinas Noreika (photo by Ugnius Bagdonavičius)

Since 2020, returns from the unrestricted capital have been used annually to support early-career researchers with recognized international experience. Over a period of 2–3 years, they receive incentive scholarships in installments, totaling up to €30,000. Noreika believes that additional funding creates more favorable conditions for attracting talented researchers to Lithuania.

“The Vizbaras brothers are connected to Vilnius University through various activities. Their message is especially important, highlighting the value of intellectual and financial support for the Alma Mater. As VU approaches its 450th anniversary, we aim to continue bringing together active individuals around the university to promote further progress for the state and society,” says VU Rector Prof. Rimvydas Petrauskas.

Since 2020, the VU Foundation has already funded 17 talented researchers from Lithuania and abroad in fields such as economics, politics, physics, philosophy, philology, and life sciences. Their doctoral dissertations were defended at universities including Oxford (UK), Cambridge (UK), Virginia (USA), Concordia (Canada), Bologna (Italy), Zurich (Switzerland), and others.

Researchers who have received funding from the VU Foundation continue to successfully apply for and win various Lithuanian and international grants, helping them further establish themselves in the academic world.

“We support the idea of an endowment, which transforms today’s philanthropic decisions into a long-term instrument for funding science that will last for centuries. By contributing to the growth of the VU Foundation’s unrestricted capital, we want its long-term benefits to reach all areas of university research. With respect and gratitude, we view science as the foundation upon which our path to successful business was built,” say the Vizbaras brothers.

Augustinas, Kristijonas, and Dominykas Vizbaras are among the most prominent creators of Lithuania’s high-tech and defense industries. They have founded internationally recognized groups of companies, “Brolis Defence Group” and “Brolis Group,” which specialize in the development and production of advanced electro-optical military systems and spectroscopic laser sensors, respectively.

Their products are used by armed forces in more than 40 countries. The group has become an important supplier to European armies and NATO allies, offering laser targeting systems, thermal imaging devices, night vision, and short-wave infrared (SWIR) technologies.

Laser spectroscopic sensors developed by “Brolis Sensor Technology” were the first in the world to receive laboratory-grade accuracy recognition and are now deployed in some of the most advanced dairy farms globally—from Lithuania to the United States.

In 2017, the Vizbaras brothers were awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order “For Merits to Lithuania.” The family actively supports Lithuania’s science, technology, and defense ecosystem through investments in talent, laboratories, engineering education, and the creation of high value-added jobs.