European Commission Grants Awarded to Four Researchers For Their Postdoctoral Fellowships at Vilnius University

The results of the 2023 call for proposals for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA PF) under Horizon Europe, the European Union’s framework programme for research and innovation, reveal that two MSCA PF grants have been awarded to Vilnius University (VU) applicants. Two other researchers who submitted their proposals with VU have succeeded in the ERA Fellowships action.

Dr. Patryk Michał Ryczkowski, who will pursue his postdoctoral fellowship at the VU Faculty of Philology, is one of the researchers who was awarded the MSCA PF grant. His innovative project is titled ‘Catholic Inculturation of the Uniate Church: Basilian hagiography of the 17th and 18th centuries (BasInCult)’. Dr Ryczkowski’s fellowship is supervised by Assoc. Prof. Mintautas Čiurinskas.

Dr. Patryk Michał Ryczkowski

‘The purpose of this work is to identify the literary strategies used by the Uniates from Orthodox backgrounds to consolidate their position within the cultural and theological system of Roman Catholicism,’ says Dr Ryczkowski. He will investigate the process of the local unification of the two early branches of modern Christianity that gave rise to the present Greek Catholic (Uniate) Church. The project focuses on Basilian monks of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Basilian centre in Vilnius, with the aim of researching the hagiographic literature, its authors, and the Uniate models of holiness. 

Dr. Miglė Gabrielaitė, who will implement her project titled ‘Genomic Exploration—Mapping the Spread, Evolution, and Adaptation of an Emerging bacterial pathogen—Achromobacter (GEM-SEE-Achro)’ at the Life Sciences Center of VU, has also been awarded funding. Her fellowship is supervised by Dr Gytis Dudas.

Dr. Miglė Gabrielaitė

‘Bacteria of the genus Achromobacter are environmental germs that are highly resistant to antibiotics and can cause healthcare-associated infections. Within the scope of this MSCA project, we will analyse over 800 Achromobacter genomes, seeking to understand how these bacteria are transmitted, how they evolve and adapt to reproduce in humans, as well as how antibiotic resistance is acquired. We hope to apply our findings to other groups of bacteria in order to improve the treatment strategies for various bacterial infections,’ explains Dr. Gabrielaitė.

The postdoctoral fellowships of the two other researchers who have submitted their proposals with VU will be funded by the ERA Fellowships. The projects submitted with institutions from the so-called widening countries that were excellently rated during the MSCA PF action yet not funded due to budget constraints of the call have been automatically included in the action.

Dr. Alfredo Hernández Sánchez will implement his project titled ‘Understanding FinTech Regulatory Sandbox Development in Europe (FIRSA)’ at the Institute of International Relations and Political Science of VU and will be supervised by Assoc. Prof. Dr Vytautas Kuokštis.

Dr. Alfredo Hernández Sánchez

According to Dr. Hernández Sánchez, the growth and development of the FinTech sector has brought significant challenges that have become a heavy burden on the existing regulatory framework. In response to the need to tie the promotion of innovation with the maintenance of financial stability and consumer protection, the FinTech regulatory sandbox (FRSB) has emerged as an innovation to combat these challenges. However, while the trajectories and levels of FRSB development vary considerably across the EU, the underlying causes are still not sufficiently explored. The project aims to fill the existing gap by proposing a multidimensional framework for the evaluation of FRSB within the EU, allowing for a better understanding of their differences, relative advantages and disadvantages, as well as application mechanisms.

Dr. Giulia Lausi will build her competencies at the VU Faculty of Law by implementing her project titled ‘Investigating Gender-Based Discrimination: Unveiling the Underlying Mechanisms (UnveilGBD)’. Her fellowship is supervised by Assoc. Prof. Dr Ilona Michailovič.

Dr. Giulia Lausi

Dr. Lausi intends to investigate the interconnections between cognitive functions, sexist beliefs, and the gender stereotypes that contribute to gender discrimination. By analysing these dynamics at the societal, community, and individual levels, the researcher will aim to develop a comprehensive model to be used in international policies for preventing gender-based violence.

The European Commission will fund a total of 1249 MSCA PF projects by the most talented young researchers and 50 ERA Fellowships projects.