Rules for the Awarding of Prof. Algis Petras Piskarskas Named Scholarships
CHAPTER I
GENERAL PROVISIONS
1. Rules for Awarding the Professor Algis Petras Piskarskas Postdoctoral Fellowship (hereinafter – the Rules) regulate the organization and implementation of the competition (hereinafter – the Competition) for the Professor Algis Petras Piskarskas Postdoctoral Fellowship (hereinafter – the Fellowship), the selection criteria for candidates applying for the Fellowship (hereinafter – the Candidate), as well as the procedure for awarding and paying the Fellowship.
2. The Scholarship is paid by the Vilnius University Foundation (hereinafter referred to as the Foundation) to the Candidate selected through the Competition (hereinafter referred to as the Scholarship Recipient) from the Prof. Algis Petras Piskarskas Subfund for supporting laser physics science (hereinafter referred to as the Subfund) from the return on investments of the endowment and/or expendable capital.
3. The Postdoctoral Fellowship, which can range from 800 EUR (eight hundred euros) to 1500 EUR (one thousand five hundred euros) per month before taxes, is awarded to the Fellowship Recipient who is working or plans to work at the VU Faculty of Physics Laser Research Center and who has defended a doctoral dissertation in the field of laser physics no earlier than 2.5 years prior to the announcement of the Competition for the Postdoctoral Fellowship. The Recipient must be actively participating or aiming to participate in the scientific activities conducted by the VU Faculty of Physics and must not be employed by laser technology or high-tech companies (except for joint projects executed between VU and laser technology or high-tech companies, when project-based or similar agreements are made for implementing such projects).
4. The purpose of the Postdoctoral Fellowship is to provide two years of financial support to talented and promising researchers at the VU Faculty of Physics Laser Research Center or other scholars, encouraging them to continue their academic work at the VU Faculty of Physics Laser Research Center after defending their doctoral dissertation.
5. The decision regarding the amount of the Postdoctoral Fellowship and the payment schedule is made by the Foundation’s Director, considering the decision of the Foundation’s General Meeting of Sharers on the use of the Subfund’s investment return and the need presented by the VU Faculty of Physics to attract the Fellowship Recipient(s). This decision is made in consultation with UAB “OPCPA holding,” legal entity code 306025718, registered office address: Keramikų st. 2B, Vilnius, Republic of Lithuania, the initiator and sponsor of the Subfund (hereinafter referred to as UAB “OPCPA holding”). This decision is made before announcing the Competition for the Postdoctoral Fellowship.
CHAPTER II
ANNOUNCEMENT AND EXECUTION OF THE COMPETITION
6. Information about the Competition and other relevant information about the Scholarship is posted on the Foundation’s website at https://vuf.lt/. This information may also be posted on the VU website at https://www.vu.lt/ and on the VU Faculty of Physics website at https://www.ff.vu.lt/.
7. If the VU Faculty of Physics expresses the need to attract Fellowship Recipients for the Postdoctoral Fellowship and based on the decision of the Foundation’s Director established in Clause 9 of the Rules, the Foundation announces the Competition for the Postdoctoral Fellowship between September and November, or at another time based on need, specifying an application submission period of no less than 30 calendar days.
8. If the VU Faculty of Physics expresses the need and funding is available, or if the Competition does not take place under the circumstances outlined in Clause 33 of the Rules, an additional Competition for the Postdoctoral Fellowship may be announced.
9. The Competition for the Postdoctoral Fellowship is open to researchers from the VU Faculty of Physics Laser Research Center or others who have defended a doctoral dissertation in the field of laser physics no earlier than 2.5 years prior to the Competition and who aim to continue their academic activities at the VU Faculty of Physics Laser Research Center. The candidates must commit, for the entire period during which they will receive the Fellowship, to offering research topics to students, supervising their work, preparing research projects, delivering lectures, and conducting scientific research.
10. Candidates seeking to obtain the Postdoctoral Fellowship must submit the following documents in the manner specified in the Competition announcement:
11.1. A completed application form for the Postdoctoral Fellowship, which must include:
11.1.1. The candidate’s first name, last name, date of birth, contact email address, and phone number;
11.1.2. Information about the candidate’s current or planned position at the VU Faculty of Physics Laser Research Center;
11.1.3. Information about the candidate’s educational background;
11.1.4. The candidate’s experience in scientific and/or pedagogical work (including a list of scientific publications, registered patents, participation in scientific conferences, project or expert work, supervision of student theses, lectures delivered and/or courses taught, participation in committee work, public engagement), as well as areas of scientific interest;
11.1.5. Confirmation that the candidate is not employed by laser technology and/or high-tech companies;
11.2. A motivational letter, an academic activity plan, or an candidate questionnaire indicating why the candidate wishes to engage in scientific and pedagogical work at the VU Faculty of Physics Laser Research Center;
11.3. Recommendations from two researchers working at the VU Faculty of Physics Laser Research Center or in the field of laser research.
CHAPTER III
EVALUATION OF CANDIDATES AND ANNOUNCEMENT OF SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
12. Applications for the Postdoctoral Fellowship and other required documents submitted by candidates are evaluated by the Professor Algis Petras Piskarskas Fellowship Award Committee (hereinafter – the Committee), which shall consist of: the Dean of the Faculty of Physics of Vilnius University (VU) or another staff member of the VU Faculty of Physics authorized by the Dean; the Director of the Laser Research Center of the VU Faculty of Physics; two (2) academic staff members of the Laser Research Center of the VU Faculty of Physics proposed by the Director; and one (1) representative of the VU Foundation. The Committee shall be chaired by the Director of the Laser Research Center of the VU Faculty of Physics.
13. The composition of the Committee is approved by an order of the Foundation’s Director.
14. The Committee makes recommendations to award the Scholarships by a simple majority vote. In the event of a tie, the Committee Chair has the casting vote.
15. The Foundation initiates the formation of the Committee and administers its work. The Foundation’s representative familiarizes the Committee members with the applications submitted by the Candidates and the accompanying documents, as well as performing other administrative functions.
16. Committee members are not additionally compensated for their work in the evaluation process.
17. In making its recommendation to award the Fellowship, the Committee relies on the information provided in the application, the submitted letters of recommendation, and other accompanying documents.
18. The Committee, when selecting Candidates who have submitted applications for the Postdoctoral Fellowship, has the right to invite Candidates for an interview to assess their abilities and discuss their potential future scientific activities.
19. When making recommendations to award the Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Committee ranks candidates based on the following criteria:
19.1. The relevance, novelty, research challenges, and expected outcomes of the candidate’s scientific activities;
19.2. The candidate’s experience and achievements in scientific, pedagogical, and engineering activities;
19.3. The candidate’s personal motivation to engage in scientific and pedagogical work at the VU Faculty of Physics Laser Research Center;
19.4. If an interview was conducted with the Candidates, the results of the interview are also considered.
20. If multiple Candidates submit applications for the Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Committee recommends awarding the Postdoctoral Fellowship to the Candidate whose scientific achievements are the most significant, ranked by the impact of their scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals or other printed publications, presentations prepared and delivered at scientific conferences, and achievements in fulfilling research tasks conducted by scientific groups.
21. The Committee makes its recommendation regarding the winner(s) of the Competition—the Scholarship Recipient(s)—no later than 20 calendar days after the application submission deadline.
22. The decision to award the Fellowship in the specified amount to the Fellow is made by the Director of the Vilnius University Foundation.
23. The Foundation informs the Scholarship Recipient of its decision via the email or phone number provided in the application, inviting the Recipient to sign a financial support agreement with the Foundation, under which the Scholarship will be paid.
24. Information about the Scholarship Recipient and their awarded Scholarship is published on the Foundation’s website at https://vuf.lt/ and on its social media platforms. This information may also be posted on the VU website at https://www.vu.lt/, the VU Faculty of Physics website at https://www.ff.vu.lt/, and on the social media platforms managed by Vilnius University.
25. The Competition is deemed invalid if:
25.1. There are no Candidates;
25.2. The Committee does not select a Scholarship Recipient.
CHAPTER IV
PAYMENT OF THE FELLOWSHIP
26. The Foundation signs a financial support agreement with the Scholarship Recipient, under which the Scholarship is paid.
27. The financial support agreement for the Postdoctoral Fellowship is signed once the Scholarship Recipient submits documents proving their current or future employment with the VU Faculty of Physics Laser Research Center.
28. The Fellowship funds are administered and disbursed to the Fellow by the Vilnius University Foundation.
29. The Postdoctoral Fellowship is transferred monthly to the bank account specified in the financial support agreement, which is opened in the name of the Scholarship Recipient.
30. The Scholarship Recipient, upon receiving the Scholarship, does not lose the opportunity to receive state or other scholarships.
31. Upon the recommendation of the Committee, the payment of the Postdoctoral Fellowship may be suspended or terminated if at least one of the following circumstances arises, in which the Fellow:
31.1. Ceases to fulfill the academic activity tasks specified in their application for the Postdoctoral Fellowship;
31.2. Terminates their employment with the VU Faculty of Physics Laser Research Center;
31.3. Becomes employed by a laser technology or high-tech company, except when working on joint projects conducted by laser technology companies together with the VU Faculty of Physics Laser Research Center.
32. The Postdoctoral Fellowship Recipient must submit academic activity reports (up to 4000 characters) to the Foundation on the scientific results achieved during the reporting period and/or a list of publications on their research activities. These academic activity reports and/or publication lists must be submitted within 30 calendar days after the 12-month and 24-month periods from the date the financial support agreement takes effect.
33. The personal data of candidates are processed and stored exclusively for the purposes of conducting the Competition, awarding the Scholarship, making payments, and executing financial accounting related to the use of support and investment returns.
CHAPTER V
FINAL PROVISIONS
34. The Rules are approved by an order of the Foundation’s Director and come into effect on the date of approval or on another date specified in the order.
35. The Rules remain valid until a decision is made to allocate the Subfund’s funds to other activities that align with the goals of the Subfund.
36. The Rules are publicly available on the Foundation’s website at https://vuf.lt/
The rules were last updated and approved on: 2025-06-05