Events
Meeting of the Representatives of the Nordic and Baltic Young Academies in Tallinn
12 05 2025
Five members of the Young Academy of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (LMAJA, Lietuvos mokslų akademijos Jaunoji akademija) – Dr Rūta Ubarevičienė, chair, Dr Julius Vengelis, vice-chair, and members Dr Vilma Naujokienė, Dr Ignas Kalpokas, and Dr Tadas Kaliatka – participated in the meeting of the Nordic and Baltic Young Academies in Tallinn, Estonia on 8–9 May. The event, which focused on current scientific topics, brought together representatives from all three Baltic countries and four Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden).
The meeting opened with the young academy of each country presenting its structure and activities. The representatives of the LMAJA (its presentation was delivered by the chair Dr Rūta Ubarevičienė) shared their positive experiences related to the working groups established last year and the ongoing initiatives being implemented this year. This series of presentations allowed the members of the LMAJA to establish connections with colleagues from other countries and gain new ideas for their work.
The main programme of this year’s meeting focused on two themes. The first theme was ‘Academic Career Pathways from the Perspective of Early-Career Researchers’. Presentations were followed by small group discussions on the challenges faced by early-career researchers pursuing academic careers. Dr Rūta Ubarevičienė and Dr Tadas Kaliatka presented the talk ‘Organising Academic Careers: Challenges and Opportunities for Early-Career Researchers in Lithuania’, in which they discussed the challenges related to attracting doctoral students and generational differences in research practices in Lithuania. Throughout the presentations, the importance of consistent funding and the academic freedom of universities and all higher education institutions were emphasised as essential for fostering highly qualified, critically thinking researchers.
Dr Rūta Ubarevičienė and Dr Tadas Kaliatka presenting on the challenges and opportunities of academic careers in Lithuania.
The second theme of the meeting was ‘Ethics and Artificial Intelligence’. The keynote address was delivered by Prof. Margit Sutrop, a philosopher, professor at the University of Tartu, and member of the Estonian Parliament, who spoke about the ethical aspects of AI development, particularly regarding the consensus on moral values in different cultural contexts. Subsequent presentations also discussed the ethical implications of AI applications in academic work. Dr Ignas Kalpokas, a member of the LMAJA, gave a talk ‘Synthetic Dreams: Exploring the Bias in Generative Artificial Intelligence’, in which he discussed the problem of AI bias and the associated risks of its development.
Dr Ignas Kalpokas presenting on the issue of AI bias.
In the final part of the meeting, members of the Young Academy of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences engaged in discussions with colleagues from other young academies about the next annual meeting, which will be held in Riga, Latvia in 2026. Participation in this event strengthened the connections between the Nordic and Baltic young academies and offered the members of the LMAJA ideas for further collaboration and valuable experience and knowledge.
In the title photo, delegation of the LMAJA at the meeting of Nordic and Baltic young academies in Tallinn, Estonia. Left to right, Dr Ignas Kalpokas, Dr Tadas Kaliatka, Dr Rūta Ubarevičienė, chair, Dr Julius Vengelis, vice-chair, and Dr Vilma Naujokienė
Dr Julius Vengelis, Vice-Chair of the Young Academy of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (LMAJA)
Photographs by Dr Rūta Ubarevičienė and Dr Julius Vengelis
