Vilnius University (VU) invites motivated researchers with a strong track record to prepare joint applications for 2025 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA PF) call with a deadline on September 10, 2025. MSCA PF are among the flagship, most prestigious research fellowships in Europe to support researchers’ careers, enhance their creative and innovative potential, and foster excellence in research. 

• European Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to researchers of any nationality who wish to engage in R&I projects by either coming to Europe from any country in the world or moving within Europe (12-24 months).
• Global Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to European nationals or long-term residents who wish to engage in R&I projects with organisations outside EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries (12-24 months outgoing phase in a non-associated Third Country & 12 months mandatory return phase to a host organisation in Europe).
• Extra funding opportunity! If you apply for the European Postdoctoral Fellowship with the host institution located in a widening country (Lithuania), and in case your proposal is not funded under the MSCA PF call due to a lack of budget, it will be automatically resubmitted to ERA Fellowships call and will have one more opportunity to get funding.

HOST INSTITUTION AND RESEARCH GROUP

Founded in 1579 VU is one of the oldest higher education institutions in Eastern and Central Europe. With its 15 academic units, the earliest academic Library in the Baltics, the Astronomical Observatory, the Botanical Garden and 2 university hospitals, VU is the largest university in the country. Research and teaching at VU is carried out by more than 3400 academic staff.VU tops the ranking as the number one university in Lithuania and leads the country in education, a broad spectrum of fundamental and applied research, training and retraining programs, and consultancy services. VU offers a dynamic research and training environment and is well-integrated into a collaborative network of international universities.

Kaunas faculty was established in 1964. The Faculty is interdisciplinary, i.e., it encompasses study programs from three different fields of science: Humanities, Social and Physical Sciences (Informatics). 

The supervisor is a member of the research group Cultural Industries and Innovations. It carries out research on creative industries and their influence on organizational and national competitiveness as well as individual, social, and national identity and image-making. It focuses on reputation management in social media and the peculiarities of communication management for branding companies, cities, and states. Another aspect of their research encompasses the impact of cultural diversity on organizational innovativeness and its outcomes, such as artistic innovations or cultural enterprises. From a diversity perspective, women's studies constitute a specific area of the group‘s research. The group plans to provide research-informed advice to public bodies on economic (innovation), cultural, and migration policy development.

SUPERVISOR

Dr. Virginija Jurėnienė is a professor at Vilnius University Kaunas Faculty. She is a member of the Vilnius University Senate. 2011 – until now, an expert in women’s issues, European Institute for Gender Equality, Vilnius, Lithuania. She has been regularly invited to work as an expert on culture and creative industries issues for the Lithuania Culture Council and an expert on Lithuanian women’s issues for the “Lituanistika” database. V. Jurėnienė has significant experience in international and national project management and has been involved in the EC FP6, FP7 projects (Pro-ecological Restructuring for Job PRORES, the project leader in Lithuania, senior scholar, 2011 – 2015) 

She has published about 60 articles and five monographs on the main issues of cultural and creative organizations management, cultural heritage management, and women’s movements' history in international peer-reviewed journals.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE AND PERSONAL SKILLS

Applicants must have published research in the culture and management of creative organizations. In particular, a track record of cultural/creative tourism or cultural heritage industry management. These should be educational articles, books, and monographs. Participation in scientific projects at various levels. Knowledge of English.

POSSIBLE RESEARCH TOPICS

Involving communities in the development of cultural tourism products.

A model of community management of cultural heritage in the context of cultural tourism development.

Improvisational management in arts organizations.

Applying AI tools to the development of cultural or creative industry products.

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

• Supported fellows must be in possession of PhD at the call deadline (September 10, 2025).
• Have up to 8 years full-time equivalent experience in research from the date of award of the doctoral degree at the call deadline.
• Fellows must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the beneficiary (for European Postdoctoral Fellowships), or the host organisation for the outgoing phase (for Global Postdoctoral Fellowships) for more than 12 months in the 36 months before the call deadline

Detailed information on the eligibility can be found on p. 120-122 of the MSCA Work Programme 2023-2025.

HOW TO APPLY?

• Contact the supervisor Prof. Virginija Jurėnienė (virginija.jureniene@knf.vu.lt) directly to express your interest in making a joint application based on your research interests. Do not forget to provide the following documents (cc to research@cr.vu.lt): 

  - curriculum vitae

  - list of publications

  - proposal summary

• Request a letter from your supervisor endorsing you as a candidate and send it to the Research Projects Office (research@cr.vu.lt). Candidates who submit their signed endorsement letters by May 16, 2025, will have the opportunity to be selected to attend a practical training course on preparing MSCA PF applications.
• After receiving your supervisor’s endorsement, you can start preparing your MSCA PF project proposal. Please note that in order to prepare and submit your application on time (by September 10, 2025), you can seek support from VU Research Projects Office (research@cr.vu.lt). 

For more information follow the link.