In 2022, with the approval of the VMU Senate, the Vytautas Kavolis Transdisciplinary Research Institute (hereinafter Kavolis Institute) was established, with an initiative involving a dedicated group of researchers from different scientific disciplines, who presented a vision for the Institute. It is the first consolidated university research institute in Lithuania, bringing together researchers from more than 10 social sciences and humanities fields from five faculties of VMU into thematic groups. The establishment of the Institute is also in line with the priorities of the VMU Strategic Plan 2021-2027 on the strengthening of scientific resources.
The mission of the Kavolis Institute is to initiate and conduct national and international basic and applied transdisciplinary research in the humanities and social sciences that responds to the needs of science, Lithuanian society and the state. The Institute’s research activities are based on transdisciplinary research, aiming to expand the boundaries of traditional scientific fields and develop horizontal and vertical research areas and themes that can bridge several research fields. The Institute’s research has several objectives:
Involve researchers from different disciplines in collaborative research projects, bringing together different scientific perspectives to develop a holistic view of the explored phenomena or problem and propose ways to tackle it.
Conduct research in partnership with society, engaging and involving the social partners in the process of scientific knowledge production.
Strengthen the role of the humanities and social sciences in society, creating an open academic culture through active participation in disseminating science and research-based knowledge.
The Institute currently has more than 50 researchers from different disciplines, representing social sciences and humanities such as psychology, sociology, law, management, political science, economics, communication and information, philosophy, art history and history. The research teams are developing their research in four inter(trans)disciplinary research areas:
Sociocultural identities and transformations;
Resilient societies and inclusion policy;
Urban and regional transformations;
Methodology, datafication, methods and data.
The name of the Institute is associated with the ideas and works of Vytautas Martynas Kavolis (1930-1999), a prominent émigré scientist, sociologist, publicist, and public figure, who left his mark on the restored Vytautas Magnus University. Vytautas Kavolis, for many decades in the USA, and after 1990 also in Lithuania, had been developing the sociology of aesthetics and literature, as well as cultural and gender studies, comparative civilisation studies, which were based on a transdisciplinary approach, the analysis of research methodologies and methods, their critique and revision. He was also one of the organisers of the Santara-Šviesa, which promoted the political and cultural activism of intellectuals to liberate, democratise and integrate Lithuanian society into the processes of global modernisation.
According to Prof. Dr. Gintautas Mažeikis, who is also the Institute’s senior researcher, the choice of the name of V. Kavolis indicates that the Institute emphasises interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary social and cultural research, which is based on a comparative analysis of symbolic organisations, their trajectories, and configurations, as well as the historical and civilisation differences and similarities, and explains the development of the Lithuanian forms of consciousness.
“According to the analysis of Kavolis’s activities, the Institute fosters a threefold identity: first, the research of Kavolis’ scientific works; second, the application and development of Kavolis’ methodologies and methods similar to his, as well as the comparative social, cultural and civilisation studies; and, third, a broad range of other interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research through the development of international partnerships and scientific dialogue. The Kavolis Institute seeks to establish active partnerships with partners abroad who are developing similar research and promoting similar liberal and open society ideas,” says Prof. G. Mažeikis.
According to the Director of the Kavolis Institute, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jurga Bučaitė-Vilkė, the ambition of the Institute is related to the Kavolis challenge of transdisciplinary and the search for new thematic directions in different fields and concepts of research. “Joint activities with other research institutes or units of VMU are also very important here. On the other hand, it is also a platform for scientific cooperation, allowing a creative approach to academic activities, involving and strengthening the capacities of young researchers, using foreign academic partnerships and learning from international partners, enhancing the impact of social sciences and humanities knowledge on the Lithuanian society and the broader regional aspect,” emphasises Assoc. Prof. Dr. J. Bučaitė-Vilkė.
The election of the Kavolis Institute Council members is also announced for 20th of December. According to the Institute’s Guidelines, the Council will be composed of 4 members from different scientific disciplines, 1 PhD student, the Research Director of the Institute (ex-officio member) and a social partner. Submissions of candidates are welcome by 12 December at jurga.bucaite-vilke@vdu.lt.
