Lithuanian research system faces stern challenges with a sense of optimism
As the Commissioner for Science and Research, Janez Potocnik, pointed out in his welcome address to the first Lithuanian research forum in Brussels on 25 November, if the EU is to achieve its ambitious competitiveness goals then all 25 of its Member States must play a role. But in a country such as Lithuania, where the total annual investment in research and development (R&D) is only 0.7 per cent of GDP, just catching up with the EU's more advanced countries represents a huge challenge, never mind helping to raise Europe's performance to transform it into the world's most competitive economy. Yet this is the dual challenge that the country has set for itself, according to the Vice Minister for Education and Science, Rimantas Vaitkus. Many obstacles stand in the way, not least the fact that Lithuanian GDP per capita is some 2.5 times lower that the EU average, and the country's research and innovation system is only now being rebuilt following its near collapse in the 1990s, but there are also many reasons for optimism. Mr Vaitkus pointed to the large numbers of students currently in higher education - 170,000 in a total population of just 3.5 million - and the fact that in 2001, Lithuania had 14.8 science and engineering graduates per 1,000 people, a figure only surpassed by four other EU countries. He conceded, however, that: 'The biggest challenge for the government is that the proportion of GDP spent on R&D is only 0.7 per cent - very far from the Barcelona target - and business investment in research is only 0.14 per cent of GDP, which is a very low figure.' Other challenges include a higher education system that doesn't currently respond to the needs of the market properly, the poor state of Lithuanian research infrastructures, a malfunctioning innovation system, and weak industry-university links. 'But in general the system is favourable,' said Mr Vaitkus, referring to the rapidly growing economy, the stable political climate, and the 'intense' development of information and communication technologies. Lithuanian researchers are also represented in 114 projects under the Sixth Framework Programme - a healthy level of representation for one of the EU's smaller states - and the country enjoys the presence of some leading research teams and high tech enterprises in sectors including biotechnology, physics and ICT. One area where Lithuania has achieved global recognition is in the field of laser research, reflected in the University of Vilnius' participation in the 14.5 million euro Integrated Project LASERLAB-EUROPE, and the export of Lithuanian laser equipment to all corners of the globe. As the University's Professor Habil Piskarskas points out: 'Unlike the rest of Europe where figures are in decline, the number of students choosing to study physics each year in Lithuania is increasing.' So while no one in Lithuania is playing down the size of the task facing its research base, there are enough positive signs to suggest that it can rise to the challenge, and this is a cause for optimism. 'We have many possibilities, and we need further cooperation, and I think that in future, Lithuania will try to be in the first line of research and development in Europe,' Mr Vaitkus concluded.
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