Vilnius University (VU) launches the call “My First Research Team” for young researchers to apply for group leader positions

The programme offers an opportunity for 26 young scientists to establish their first independent research group and implement an original research project. The expected start date of project activities is no later than 1 September 2026.

Selected researchers will receive a fixed-term full-time appointment of up to three years and will receive funding of up to EUR 350,000. The grant will cover salaries of the group leader and team members as well as project implementation costs. Group leaders will be expected to carry out a research project related to Lithuania’s Smart Specialisation priority fields (priorities can be found here).

Eligible candidates should hold a PhD obtained within the past seven years (till application deadline). This period does not include maternity, paternity or parental leave, or long-term sick-leave. Eligibility criteria – by the application deadline, candidates must not have acted as principal investigators of projects funded by the Research Council of Lithuania under the measures and programmes listed in the call.

Applications will be assessed based on scientific achievements and potential, quality, originality and feasibility of the proposed research, and its compatibility with the research activities and infrastructure of the chosen Faculty at VU. Evaluation will also consider evidence of scientific excellence, mentoring, expert engagement and dissemination of results.

Applications must be submitted electronically via https://forms.office.com/e/1WHeYs7PC8 by 20 January 2026, 15:00 CET. Applications received after the deadline will not be evaluated.

Personal data will be processed solely for the purpose of informing you about the call, related events and evaluation of proposals, and retained no longer than 1 September 2026. Consent may be withdrawn at any time.

An information day on the call and application form will be held on 10 December 2025, 14:00 CET, via Teams.

More details on the call are available at https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/hosting/group-leader-my-first-research-team-call-announcement