Approved by Resolution No. 1 of 24 September 2018 of the General Assembly of Members of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
The currently valid version approved by Resolution No. 2 of 22 June 2021
Preamble
The movement of young academies around the world began in 2000 when the first Young Academy was established by mutual agreement between the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Exact Sciences and Humanities and the German Academy of Natural Sciences Leopoldina. Later, between 2005 and 2017, over 40 young academies were established worldwide. Most of them are members of the Global Young Academy and are actively involved in its activities. In Europe, young academies operating at or within academies of science have been established in Albania, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Poland, Norway, Holland, Finland, Scotland, Sweden, and Germany. Young academies bring together talented promising scientists who have achieved outstanding scientific results, promote their professional, international and interdisciplinary scientific, innovative, and social activities.
1. The Organisation
The Young Academy is part of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences and its official name is the Young Academy of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences (Lietuvos mokslų akademijos Jaunoji akademija, hereinafter LMAJA). The symbols, activity, and management regulations of the LMAJA are coordinated with the Presidium of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.
2. The Aim
The LMAJA brings together active and promising young researchers who have achieved outstanding scientific results and are engaged in scientific and innovation-related activities aligned with the mission of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. It promotes their creative, scientific and expert activities; represents the interests of young scientists in Lithuania; provides input on national research policy issues, and creates opportunities for pursuing academic careers. It fosters collaboration with young academies in other countries, contributes to raising the prestige of science and the accessibility of science-based knowledge in society, analyses the development of science in an academic environment, and encourages academic mentorship.
3. Membership
Members of the LMAJA shall be elected by a competitive procedure. The applicants must be motivated by the activities of the Young Academy, have achieved significant scientific results, and be engaged in professional and social activities. They must be under the age of 40 before the final date of the acceptance of documents, and their doctoral degree must be obtained not earlier than within the last ten (10) years. Up to ten (10) members shall be elected in the first year, and up to 10 new members shall be elected each following year. A maximum of forty (40) members shall be elected for a single term. The duration of the term in office shall be four years. At the end of their term in office, the members of the Young Academy of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences shall become alumni of the Young Academy. LMAJA alumni continue to participate in the activities of the Young Academy in an advisory role.
4. The Election
After the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences announces a competition for the membership in the Young Academy, the candidates shall be nominated by the senates and research councils of Lithuanian research and higher education institutions, members of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, and associations of Lithuanian scientists. Young scientists shall be allowed to nominate themselves. The competition criteria are established by the Presidium of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.
To the Secretariat of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, the candidates shall submit an application, a curriculum vitae, a description of their research activities, a list of scientific publications, patents, research projects, and innovative activities, as well as other documents specified in the conditions of the competition. The winners shall be selected by commissions formed of the members of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences by fields of research and approved by a resolution of the Presidium of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. Approved by the Presidium of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, the winners of the competition shall become members of the LMAJA. The members shall be awarded certificates of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences of the established form. At their meeting, the members of the LMAJA shall elect the Chair, the Secretary, and the Bureau for a term of two years.
5. Activities
The Lithuanian Academy of Sciences shall provide conditions for the activities of the Young Academy by representing its interests, provision of premises for the activities of the Chair, the Vice-Chair, and the Bureau members, also for scientific conferences, seminars, discussions, meetings, and other events, supplying the necessary organisational equipment and resources, and, where possible, provision of funding. It provides opportunities to participate in research and science communication projects, in the activities of international young scientist organisations, and to publicise its activities. A separate unit is established within the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences to support the development of the Young Academy activities. Employment contracts may be concluded with the Chair and the Vice-Chair of the Young Academy. The Chair and the Vice-Chair may participate in the meetings of the Presidium of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.
6. Rights and Obligations of Members
Any young researcher in Lithuania who meets the requirements of these regulations shall be eligible for election as a member of the LMAJA. Members have the opportunity to actively participate in the activities of the Young Academy: to organise conferences, discussions, and seminars; to express their opinion on the policy of research, higher education, and innovations pursued in the Republic of Lithuania; to receive information about the activities of the Chair, the Vice-Chair, and the Bureau; to participate in events organised by the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, and to access information accumulated by the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences and its Young Academy. It shall be the duty of a member of the Young Academy to comply with these Regulations, the Activity and Management Regulations, decisions of the Bureau, and other internal documents, to protect the property of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, to raise the prestige of science, and to adhere to the provisions of academic ethics adopted by the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.
7. Adoption and Amendment of the Regulations
These regulations shall be adopted and amended by a resolution of a general assembly of the members of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.
