IANUS General Assembly in Vilnius: aiming to strengthen trust in science

The General Assembly of the Inspiring and Anchoring Trust in Science (IANUS) project, took place in Vilnius, Lithuania during 5-6th of October, 2023. A two-day event of the secretaries of the European institutions that advise the highest levels of government on science, technology and innovation – focused on a review of the first year of the project. Experts and representatives of organisations from the project partner countries participated in the event and worked on the future perspectives of the project.

The Chairman of the Board of the Research Council of Lithuania (LMT), habil. dr. Eugenijus Butkus, presented the LMT and the research development system and its developments in Lithuania, gave a welcoming speech. The project partners' meeting discussed the first year's activity report taht was submitted to the European Commission; discussed necessary corrections, agreed on the timetable of planned activities, future publications and planning sessions. On the first day of the event, the participants delved deeper into the main topics, including the project's objectives, deliverables and milestones, and presented their conclusions after the break-out sessions.

The Chairman of the Board of the LMT, habil. dr. Eugenijus Butkaus, said: "The IANUS project addresses a very pressing challenge, namely to ensure trust in science and to ensure that research is accountable to society. This is very important for the Research Council of Lithuania, as we are also involved in the development of evidence-based policy decision-making tools."

The second day of the event was dedicated to a discussion with the IANUS Advisorry Board, a plenary discussion and a feedback session and a debriefing to ensure planning and synergies within the working groups. Each project partner presented their country's current issues, developments and what they plan to do in the coming year.

About the IANUS project:

The Inspiring and Anchoring Trust in Science (IANUS) project aims to strengthen trust in science, research and innovation at a systemic level by promoting participation in research as a creative and inclusive process that takes into account the values, concerns and needs of society. The project started in June 2022 and involves the Research Council of Lithuania (LMT) together with 9 partners from 9 countries. For more information on the project, click here.