Philanthropist Irena Juozapavičienė donates €1.2 million to Vilnius University endowment fund
Tuesday 23rd June 2026 on 17:00 in
Lithuania
Philanthropist Irena Juozapavičienė has donated €1.2 million to the endowment fund of Vilnius University (VU), the university announced.
The donation, drawn from her personal funds and the legacy of her late husband, renowned Lithuanian physicist Dr. Algirdas Juozapavičius (1948–2025), will double the existing €1 million endowment subfund established in 2024 in memory of their son, Mantvydas Juozapavičius (1976–2023).
An additional €100,000 each will support the endowment subfund of VU’s Institute of International Relations and Political Science (TSPMI) and the strengthening of the Vilnius University Foundation’s operations.
“The exceptional philanthropy of the Juozapavičius family meaningfully immortalises the memory of their son, who walked an academic path. Their generosity sends an important message to society while opening new opportunities for the university’s students and researchers,” said VU Rector Prof. Rimvydas Petrauskas.
The expanded Mantvydas Juozapavičius subfund will enhance existing initiatives, including a scholarship in his name, support for the TSPMI Young Political Scientists School, a Civic Student Scholarship, early-career researcher programs, and postdoctoral fellowship opportunities at the VU Life Sciences Center.
The €100,000 contribution to the TSPMI subfund will enable full-scale activities starting next year, with investment returns earmarked for scholarships, postdoctoral fellowships, and talent attraction initiatives to strengthen the institute’s academic potential and competitiveness.
“We are sincerely grateful to philanthropists Irena and the late Algirdas Juozapavičius for their trust in TSPMI and their decision to invest in the institute’s future. Their €100,000 donation will strengthen student opportunities, the academic community, and create better conditions for nurturing a new generation of national leaders,” said TSPMI Director Prof. Margarita Šešelgytė.
Mantvydas Juozapavičius was a prominent Lithuanian public figure with expertise in information management and genealogy. He studied at Vilnius Lyceum, VU’s Institute of International Relations and Political Science, and the Faculty of Communication, furthering his education at Rice, Illinois, and Michigan universities in the U.S. He worked as an assistant in the Seimas (Lithuanian Parliament), served as an election observer in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and worked as a freelance information management and data analysis specialist.