Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU) together with the North Town Technology Park, founded a new entrepreneurship support centre "Verslo Lab'as", the aim of which is to promote and support innovative students, young scientists and researchers‘ ideas, to assist in developing them from their initial stage to the creation of a technological prototype and to facilitate enterprise establishment processes.  

 

For the business development of start-ups, the entrepreneurship centre provides manifold support:  expert advice and trainings in various fields, assistance for business development, free events, workspace, support in commercialisation of a product or service, attracting investors, etc. At any time new teams, wishing to develop technological entrepreneurship, are welcome at the entrepreneurship centre.

 

In each stage of business development, young start-up companies will be assisted by a competent Mentors‘ Team of "Verslo Lab'as", eight of them being VGTU representatives: Rokas Tamošiūnas, the founder and head of "Start-up: Highway", who is advising on business management and development,  Lidija Kraujalienė – on intellectual property protection and management, Izolda Jokšienė and Kristina Čižiūnienė – on business development, Professor Narimantas Kazimieras Paliulis – on technology, product development and prototype creation, Agnė Vaiciukevičiūtė – on publicity and markets identification, Margarita Vorobjova – on potential markets and users identification and Agna Balcevič – on financial management and administration issues.

 

Four groups of VGTU students, having established their own technological ventures during the project "Innovative business promotion" (INOVEKS), have already had the opportunity to take advantage of the new business centre’s services – they got in touch with the management and commercialization of their products.

 

Currently, VGTU starters are creating technological prototypes in nanobioengineering, energy, electronics, computer engineering and software fields. Four groups of students are working on different issues: extracting cellulose nanocristals from hemp fibre and trying to use them in aviation, construction, machinery manufacturing and other industries, looking for two and three dimensional augmented reality solutions, creating remote door lock monitoring system.

 

Young entrepreneurs are already planning meetings with prospective investors, venture capital funds and "business angels", who are ready to support their innovative ideas.

 

Mr. Marius Skarupskas, Vice-Minister of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania, Prof. Dr. Jelena Stankevičienė, the Dean of VGTU Faculty of Business Management, and Dr. Gediminas Pauliukevičius, the Director of the North town Technology Park, attended the official opening ceremony of the new entrepreneurship centre, founded by VGTU and North Town Technology Park.