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On 10 and 11 September, experts from four Arqus universities (Graz, Minho, Granada and Vilnius) gathered at Vilnius University to take the final steps towards launching the new Arqus Joint Master’s Programme in Translation, Technologies and AI.

Now in the final phase of development, this innovative programme is designed to respond to the rapidly changing translation landscape and the growing role of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. During the Vilnius meeting, the organising team reviewed feedback from the Austrian accreditation body and discussed key organisational and administrative processes within the partnership.

The pioneering programme aims to bridge the gap between academic education and the increasingly digital translation labour market. By combining translation studies with expertise in digital tools, machine translation and artificial intelligence, it seeks to equip graduates with the skills needed to thrive in a fast-evolving profession and to position itself at the forefront of innovation in translator education.

A strong international dimension will be at the heart of the programme. Future students will have the opportunity to study at at least two of the four partner universities, gaining both specialised academic knowledge and valuable experience in an international learning environment.

2025/2026 spring semester exam retakes will be held from the 2th until the 16th of September.

Retake dates for BA students >

Retake dates for MA students >

The dates are constantly updated as soon as the professors announce them.

If you cannot find the date for the needed subject, please contact the professor and follow the information on Faculty's website.

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As part of the MSCA-funded postdoctoral project Repro-fiction, Dr. Orlagh Woods facilitated a workshop on Narrative Medicine on June 2nd, bringing together scholars and students from the Faculties of Medicine and Philology to explore reproductive healthcare through literature, art, and reflective discussion.

The workshop invited participants to engage with questions of healthcare and bodily autonomy through a series of guided activities. It began with a group reflection on a historical painting depicting the first Caesarean section performed in Latin America, encouraging participants to consider the ethical dimensions of reproductive care. This was followed by a close reading exercise centred on a literary text addressing reproductive loss, which prompted discussion about the role of storytelling in communicating experiences that are often silencedor difficult to articulate. 

The workshop was co-hosted by Dr. Loïc Bourdeau and Dr. Rūta Morkūnienė, whose expertise in literary studies and medicine respectively highlighted the value of interdisciplinary approaches to complex healthcare issues. Drawing on perspectives from both the humanities and medicine, the session demonstrated how collaborative dialogue can deepen our understanding of reproductive experiences and improve approaches to care.

Narrative medicine is an evidence-based approach that emphasises the importance of listening to, interpreting, and responding to patients’ stories. Combining scientific knowledge with close attention to human experience, it is both an art and a science. Narrative medicine has been shown to foster empathy, strengthen communication, and support more patient-centred care. Its insights are particularly valuable in contexts where reproductive healthcare has historically been shaped by restrictive or repressive political and social regimes, creatingspace for voices and experiences that have often been marginalised.

The workshop formed part of the broader aims of Repro-fiction to explore the relationship between literature, healthcare and reproductive justice. It also opened up exciting possibilities for future interdisciplinary collaborations, and organisers look forward to building on these conversations through further events and partnerships.

On 8 May 2026, the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities of the University of Granada held the seminar Arts and Development of Creativity in Slavic Language Teaching, aimed at educators involved in the teaching of Slavic languages. The event was organized within the framework of the Arqus Innovation Fund project Arts and Creativity in the Foreign Language Classroom: Interdisciplinarity and Innovation in the Process of Teaching and Learning Slavic Languages. The initiative brings together specialists in Russian and Polish language instruction from the Universities of Granada, Vilnius, and Wrocław.

The project team consists of experienced instructors of Slavic languages taught as foreign languages. Coordination of the project is carried out by the Department of Greek and Slavic Philology at the University of Granada, one of the leading Spanish academic centres dedicated to Slavic studies.

The project focuses on developing students’ language skills through enhancing their knowledge of cultural and social contexts of the language they study and performing various creative language tasks. It is worth noting that traditional grammar is not overlooked; rather, it is thoughtfully incorporated into the creative learning process.

As part of the seminar, participants were introduced to a methodology that combines interdisciplinary language teaching with creativity development. This approach is designed to support the creation of innovative teaching materials for Russian and Polish as foreign languages, however this methodology can be also applied to teaching other languages. 

The seminar was attended by 30 academics and doctoral candidates representing seven countries. Participants highly valued the innovative character of the methodology presented during the event.

Jörundur Garðar Hilmarsson

On June 5–6, Vilnius University (VU) will host a conference titled “Hidden Bridges, Rediscovered Paths: Iceland – Lithuania Through Time” dedicated to the memory of scholar and translator Jörundur Garðar Hilmarsson (1946–1992) and the 35th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Lithuania and Iceland. 

The Icelandic linguist Jörundur G. Hilmarsson made a significant contribution to the development of cultural and political ties between Iceland and Lithuania. He initiated the first Icelandic-language seminar at VU and the first Lithuanian-language seminar at the University of Iceland, was the first to translate a Lithuanian book into Icelandic, and became the first Honorary Consul of Lithuania in Iceland. He would have turned 80 this year.

The opening presentation of the conference, titled “Morality and Expediency: Icelandic-Lithuanian Relations, 1918–1988,” will be delivered by Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson, former President of Iceland (2016–2024) and professor at the University of Iceland. 

Eight other guest scholars from Iceland, Lithuania, Norway, and Taiwan will present their research on the shared cultural memory of Lithuania and Iceland, lesser-known connections between Lithuania and Iceland dating back to the Viking Age, which took unexpected forms during the interwar period and World War II, were nurtured during the Cold War, and flourished after 1991. 

We will hear about the origins of Icelandic studies at VU, Icelandic literature in Lithuanian and Lithuanian literature in Icelandic, the parallels and differences between the ideologies and practices of language policy in Iceland and Lithuania, teaching methodologies for the Icelandic and Lithuanian languages, Jörundur G. Hilmarsson’s scholarly work and cultural legacy. 

The event will be officially opened by Harald Aspelund, Ambassador of the Republic of Iceland to Lithuania; Prof. Rimvydas Petrauskas, Rector of Vilnius University; Dalius Radis, Honorary Consul of Iceland; Prof. Mindaugas Kvietkauskas, Dean of the Faculty of Philology; and Dr Erika Sausverde, Director of the Institute for the Languages and Cultures of the Baltic at the Faculty of Philology.

The conference will also feature the opening of the exhibition “Intertwined Realities” by artist Þorgerður Jörundsdóttir (the daughter of Jörundur G. Hilmarsson, who lived with him in Lithuania in 1971) and an exhibition dedicated to the memory of Jörundur G. Hilmarsson. Conference participants will also take part in the opening discussion of the “Takk, Island”(“Thank You, Iceland”) festival, titled “Between Lithuania and Iceland: Shared History of Politics, Culture, and Lives”.

A detailed program of the conference and accompanying events can be found here. 

All events will be held in English.

The DN34 International Conference on Discourse, Identity and Polarisation will be held on November 10–12 2026 at Vilnius University in person and online via MS Teams. The call for papers and panel proposals is open until June 1st 2026 (extended).

The conference provides an interdisciplinary forum for exploring how identities, subjectivities and social divisions are discursively constructed, negotiated and challenged in increasingly polarised societies. We welcome contributions from scholars at all career stages working in the transdisciplinary field of Critical Discourse Studies.

The conference will also feature two pre-conference workshops on 9 November aimed especially at doctoral candidates, postdoctoral researchers and other early-career scholars.

Further information about the themes, abstract guidelines, registration and workshops can be found on the conference website: https://www.dare.flf.vu.lt/call-for-papers

Iceland holds an almost mythical place in Lithuanian cultural memory as a political David – a small but courageous nation that was the first to express political support for Lithuania’s independence through the Icelandic Althing’s vote on 11 February 1991, followed by the establishment of diplomatic relations in August of the same year.

The year 2026 will mark the 35th anniversary of these historic milestones. Since then, political, business, and cultural ties between the two countries have steadily deepened. Today, an Icelandic community has taken root in Lithuania, while the Lithuanian diaspora in Iceland ranks among the country’s largest foreign communities. Diplomatic relations are maintained through ambassadors accredited to each other’s states, complemented by active honorary consulates in both countries.

However, little is known about the earlier history of these ties, which can be traced back to the Viking era, took intriguing turns during the interwar period and Word War Two, and persisted throughout the Cold War. A key figure who maintained this thread at a time when no official links were possible – since Lithuania did not exist as an independent state – was the linguist and specialist in Indo-European languages, including Lithuanian, and pioneer of Tocharian studies, Jörundur G. Hilmarsson. He was the first to conduct the Icelandic seminar at Vilnius University, the first to teach Lithuanian at the University of Iceland, the first translator of a Lithuanian book into Icelandic, and the first Honorary Consul of Lithuania in Iceland. He would have turned 80 in 2026, and this conference is dedicated to his memory.

The conference will feature a series of talks examining the parallels, contrasts, and interactions between the two countries over time, while also addressing topics directly connected to Jörundur Hilmarsson’s academic and cultural legacy. The conference will also feature an exhibition dedicated to Jörundur Hilmarsson’s memory, followed by a second exhibition by the Icelandic artist Þorgerður Jörundsdóttir who is Jörundur Hilmarsson’s daughter.

The detailed program of the conference and accompanying events can be found here. All events will be held in English.