Construction Begins on a New Building for the VU Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences, Which Will Also House the Translational Gene Technology Competency Centre
Following the signing of a EUR 32.8 million construction works contract between Vilnius University (VU) and ‘Veikmės statyba’ UAB, preparatory works for the construction of the new VU Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences have started. The new building in Saulėtekio al., spanning over the territory of more than 12 thousand square metres, will house the Faculty and the Translational Gene Technology Competency Centre of the VU Life Sciences Center. The new infrastructure will allow bringing together high-level science, research, study and business potential in one space.
"This is part of our long-term vision to create a full-fledged research and studies campus in Saulėtekis. It is only logical for the Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences to be located near the Faculty of Physics, the Life Sciences Centre, and, in the future, the Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics. The new Faculty premises in Saulėtekis will not only substantially improve working and studying conditions for researchers, but will also foster interdisciplinary collaboration – the development of new research projects and interdisciplinary study programmes to meet high-tech needs. In addition, it will serve as a place for close cooperation between science and business in various areas, ensuring the training of highly qualified specialists and the implementation of joint scientific and business ideas," said VU Rector Prof. Rimvydas Petrauskas.
The new research building will provide a modern, state-of-the-art experimental base and infrastructure for the training of specialists in chemistry, biochemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, and chemistry of nanomaterials. The demand for specialists in these areas is constantly growing, and the new space will ensure the successful and smooth execution and implementation of international science and technology projects to compete successfully at European and global levels.
The future Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences will bring together the potential of scientific research, higher education, professional practice, and business in a single area, enabling graduates to enter professional practice more quickly and efficiently, and to apply the latest technologies in their work. The infrastructure created to train highly qualified specialists will also improve the quality of studies based on innovation.
All six departments of the Institute of Chemistry of the VU Faculty of Chemistry and Geosciences, where scientific research and solutions in new functional materials, molecular and supramolecular systems, sensors and biosensors, and other areas are actively developed, are planned to be relocated to the new five-storey building.
The building will also house the Translational Gene Technology Competency Centre which will bring together clusters of state-of-the-art scientific equipment and interdisciplinary expertise of researchers in gene editing, genomics, bioinformatics, cell technology, and other areas. The Competency Centre will enable the creation of an international-level life sciences ecosystem, effectively fostering collaboration between science and business in the development of innovative services, products, and solutions for the health sector, with a particular focus on age-related and cancerous diseases. This is expected to ensure the efficient implementation of new biomedical programmes and the improvement of treatment strategies.
The Competency Centre will host eight clusters: Sequencing and Bioinformatics, Flow Cytometry, Microscopy and Imaging, Eukaryotic Cell Engineering, Microbiology, Bioengineering, Mass Spectrometry, and Continuous Flow Synthesis, as well as other laboratories to carry out advanced scientific research.
The new building’s construction is scheduled for completion in Q3 of 2026.