Lithuanian Science Council receives nine applications for LRT governing board seat

The Lithuanian Science Council (LMT) has received nine applications for a vacant seat on the governing board of Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT), with evaluations currently underway, the council announced Monday.

According to LMT representatives, the submission deadline for candidates closed on April 21, yielding nine applicants. “All applications are now under assessment,” the council stated in a response to the ELTA news agency. A shortlist of candidates meeting statutory requirements will be published in the coming days.

The LMT aims to select a new board member by May 19, when the term of its current delegate expires. The decision will follow a legally mandated selection process, with results made public immediately afterward.

This marks the first time the LMT has conducted an open recruitment for its LRT board representative. The chosen candidate will be tasked with shaping LRT’s informational and educational policies, focusing on science communication, promoting research activities, and fostering discussions on scientific ethics.

Currently, the LMT’s delegate on the LRT board is Darijus Beinoravičius, who last year was found by Mykolas Romeris University’s Academic Ethics Commission to have committed plagiarism in a submitted academic paper. Beinoravičius resigned from his university position at the end of last year following the ruling.

The 12-member LRT board comprises four appointees each from the president, parliament, and public organisations. By May, new members must also be named by the Bishops’ Conference, the Lithuanian Men of Art Association (LMKA), the Lithuanian Education Council, and the LMT itself.

The Bishops’ Conference has already nominated Ramutė Ruškytė, an advisor to Justice Minister Rita Tamašunienė, who will step down from her political role to comply with LRT’s conflict-of-interest regulations. The LMKA plans to address its nomination next week, while the Lithuanian Education Council will discuss candidates at its May 11 meeting.