# Vytautas Magnus University

> university in Kaunas, Lithuania (1989-)

**Wikidata**: [Q1756541](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1756541)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vytautas_Magnus_University)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/vytautas-magnus-university

## Summary
Vytautas Magnus University is a public university located in Kaunas, Lithuania. Re-established in 1989, it functions as an institution for further education and an open-access publisher. As of early 2024, the university employs 1,901 staff members.

## Key Facts
- **Inception:** Re-established on July 4, 1989, with an official opening date of September 1, 1989.
- **Location:** Kaunas, Lithuania (Kaunas City Municipality).
- **Coordinates:** 54.898333° N, 23.913888° E.
- **Employees:** 1,901 (as of January 2024).
- **Native Name:** Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas.
- **Website:** https://www.vdu.lt
- **Type:** University, Open-access publisher, Business.
- **DOI Prefix:** 10.7220.
- **EU VAT Number:** LT119503917.
- **Company Code:** 111950396.

## FAQs
### Q: When was Vytautas Magnus University re-established?
A: The university was re-established on July 4, 1989, and officially opened on September 1, 1989. While it bears the name of a historical entity, its current operational inception dates to 1989.

### Q: Where is the university located?
A: Vytautas Magnus University is located in Kaunas, Lithuania. Its specific administrative location is within the Kaunas City Municipality.

### Q: Is Vytautas Magnus University involved in publishing?
A: Yes, the university is classified as an open-access publisher. It utilizes the DOI prefix 10.7220 for its publications.

### Q: What are the university's major international affiliations?
A: The institution is a member of the European University Association, ORCID, Inc., the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie, and the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment, among others.

## Why It Matters
Vytautas Magnus University serves as a significant academic and cultural institution in Lithuania, specifically situated in Kaunas, the country's second-largest city. By re-establishing itself in 1989, the university played a role in the educational restructuring of Lithuania following the Soviet era. It acts as a hub for higher education and research, evidenced by its extensive network of international memberships, including the European University Association and ORCID.

The university matters not only as an educational facility but also as an active participant in the global academic community. It contributes to the open-access knowledge economy through its publishing activities and maintains rigorous academic standards through partnerships with organizations like the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment. Furthermore, it serves as a center for notable academic figures, such as the computer scientists Vytautas Kaminskas and Algirdas Avižienis, reinforcing its relevance in the fields of computer science and university-level teaching.

## Notable For
- **Re-establishment in 1989:** Marking the restoration of the university in Kaunas during the revitalization of Lithuanian independence.
- **Open-Access Publishing:** Operating as a recognized open-access publisher with a specific DOI prefix (10.7220).
- **Computer Science Heritage:** Affiliation with notable figures in computer science, including Vytautas Kaminskas and Algirdas Avižienis.
- **International Cooperation:** Membership in the "Transform4Europe" (T4EU) alliance and the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie.
- **Comprehensive Academic Scope:** Classified broadly as a university, business, and research institution with nearly 2,000 employees.

## Body

### Institutional Overview
Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), natively known as *Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas*, is a higher education institution based in Kaunas, Lithuania. The university is geographically positioned at coordinates 54.898333° N, 23.913888° E within the Kaunas City Municipality. The institution serves a dual function as a university for further education and a business entity, and it is officially recognized as an open-access publisher.

### History and Inception
The current entity was legally and operationally inceptioned on **July 4, 1989**, with the **date of official opening** recorded as **September 1, 1989**. In the context of Wikidata structured data, the university is listed with the description "university in Kaunas, Lithuania (1989-)". While the official name is Vytauto Didžiojo universitetas, historical records note previous official names such as *Каўнаскі ўніверсітэт* and *Ковенскі ўнівэрсытэт* (with end times listed as 1950-10-31), and it is sometimes cited as being the same as or different from "Kaunas State Vytautas Magnus University" depending on the specific property context (e.g., "different from" vs "said to be the same as").

### Organizational Statistics and Identifiers
As of January 2024, the university employs **1,901 people**. It operates under the Lithuanian company code **111950396** and EU VAT number **LT119503917**.

Key Academic and Technical Identifiers include:
- **GRID ID:** grid.19190.30
- **ROR ID:** 04y7eh037
- **GND ID:** 505502-7
- **VIAF ID:** 301375957
- **Library of Congress Authority ID:** no2013055833
- **DOI Prefix:** 10.7220

### Affiliations and Membership
The university maintains a robust profile in global academic networks. It is a confirmed member of:
- **European University Association** (as of July 2019)
- **ORCID, Inc.** (as of October 2023)
- **Lithuanian Research Library Consortium**
- **Agence universitaire de la Francophonie**
- **Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment**
- **T4EU (Transform4Europe)**

### Notable Affiliated Persons
The university's academic history includes associations with prominent Lithuanian scholars, particularly in the field of computer science:
- **Vytautas Kaminskas (1946–2022):** A Lithuanian computer scientist and university teacher affiliated with the institution.
- **Algirdas Avižienis (b. 1932):** A Lithuanian computer science professor and politician affiliated with the university.

### Digital Presence
The university maintains a multi-language website at **https://www.vdu.lt**. Its social media presence includes the Facebook handle *vytauto.didziojo.universitetas* and Instagram handle *vduni*. Its visual identity is represented by a specific emblem and seal image hosted on Wikimedia Commons.

## References

1. Directory of Open Access Journals
2. [Source](https://atvira.sodra.lt/imones/rinkiniai/index.html)
3. Virtual International Authority File
4. [Source](https://eua.eu/about/member-directory.html)
5. [Source](https://web.archive.org/web/20231020113811/https://orcid.org/members)
6. [2015](https://web.archive.org/web/20200923154928/https://www.lmba.lt/apie-lmba/nariai)
7. [Source](https://web.archive.org/web/20221123144401/https://www.auf.org/les_membres/nos-membres/)
8. [Source](https://web.archive.org/web/20231109092552/https://coara.eu/coalition/membership/)
9. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
10. [Source](http://api.crossref.org/members/4256)
11. [Source](http://www.vdu.lt/)
12. [Source](http://km.aifb.kit.edu/services/crunchbase/)
13. GRID Release 2015-12-14
14. GRID Release 2016-12-06
15. Quora
16. Aligned ISNI and Ringgold identifiers for institutions
17. Microsoft Academic Knowledge Graph
18. [Source](https://ror.org/04y7eh037)
19. FactGrid
20. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)
21. [Source](https://data.gov.lt/datasets/1484/)