The Research Council of Lithuania (Lietuvos mokslo taryba, commonly abbreviated LMT) is Lithuania’s national research funding institution. Founded in 1991 as an expert body advising on national science policy, LMT has since become the country’s principal channel for competitive state-budget research funding and its main point of coordination for EU research programmes. For researchers and research administrators working with or in Lithuania — whether applying directly, hosting a Lithuanian partner, or coordinating a Baltic-region consortium — LMT is the counterpart body to funders such as Latvia’s Latvian Council of Science (LZP) and Estonia’s Estonian Research Council (ETAg), both covered in companion CASRAI guides.
A note on naming: LMT is the standard English-language abbreviation used on the Council’s own site and in EU programme documentation (from Lietuvos mokslo taryba). Some secondary sources render it as “LMTLT” to disambiguate from other national bodies sharing the LMT initials internationally; this guide uses LMT, matching the Council’s own usage.
What Is the Research Council of Lithuania?
LMT administers Lithuania’s main national research funding programmes, provides expert scientific review of funding applications, advises the Lithuanian government on science policy, and hosts Lithuania’s National Contact Point (NCP) network for Horizon Europe. It sits within Lithuania’s broader research governance structure alongside the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, which sets overall science policy, while LMT operates as the primary funding and expert-review body.
In practice, LMT plays three roles that matter to anyone planning a funding application involving Lithuania: it is the national funder for Lithuania’s own competitive research programmes, the EU liaison that helps Lithuanian and partner institutions navigate Horizon Europe and other EU instruments, and a coordinator for Lithuania’s participation in transnational and bilateral joint research programmes.
LMT’s Main Funding Instruments
LMT’s funding portfolio spans national competitive grants, career-development and mobility support, and Lithuania’s national contribution to transnational joint programmes. The instruments researchers and international collaborators encounter most often are:
Researcher Groups Projects
Researcher Groups Projects is one of LMT’s core national funding instruments, supporting project-based research carried out by research groups at Lithuanian institutions across scientific fields. As with equivalent flagship programmes at Lithuania’s Baltic neighbours, eligibility centres on a Lithuanian host research or higher-education institution; a non-Lithuanian researcher would typically participate as a team member or partner through that host rather than applying independently.
Postdoctoral Fellowships
LMT runs a Postdoctoral Fellowships programme intended to support early-career researchers — including researchers coming from abroad — in developing independent research projects and building academic careers at a Lithuanian host institution. This is the instrument most directly relevant to an individual international researcher seeking to spend a defined period conducting funded research in Lithuania, analogous to postdoctoral schemes run by LZP in Latvia and ETAg in Estonia.
Support for PhD Students and Researcher Mobility
LMT funds a set of career-development, mobility and networking measures aimed at doctoral students and early-career researchers, including support for research visits, participation in workshops and conferences, and academic networking activity. These are typically smaller, shorter-duration awards layered on top of a researcher’s primary funding or institutional position rather than stand-alone project grants.
Attracting Foreign Researchers for Research Implementation
LMT operates a measure specifically aimed at attracting foreign researchers to Lithuania to carry out research projects, with a particular emphasis on results relevant to economic sectors that could subsequently be commercialised. This is one of the clearest direct routes for an international researcher to seek LMT funding rather than participating only as a partner on a Lithuania-based team; applicants should confirm current eligibility, host-institution requirements and call status directly with LMT, since programme structure and calls of this kind are revised periodically.
Baltic Research Programme and Bilateral Programmes
LMT participates in the Baltic Research Programme, a joint funding mechanism that requires cooperation among project partners from all three Baltic states (Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) together with at least one partner from Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein — reflecting the EEA/Norway Grants funding relationship those three countries have with the Baltic region. LMT also maintains bilateral research-funding agreements with individual countries, such as its Lithuania-Poland programme, under memoranda of understanding that open joint calls requiring a partner institution from each side.
ERA-NET and COST Participation
LMT contributes Lithuania’s national share of funding to European transnational joint-call networks operating under the ERA-NET scheme, and supports Lithuanian participation in COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Actions, which fund research networking rather than the research itself. As with the Baltic and bilateral programmes above, these are routes into Lithuanian funding for a non-Lithuanian researcher chiefly through a multinational consortium that includes a Lithuanian partner, not through a direct application to LMT alone.
Establishment of International Competence Centers
LMT has run a national programme to establish and operationalise international competence centres in Lithuania, intended to strengthen the country’s research and innovation capacity, deepen international R&D cooperation, and support the commercialisation of research results. This programme operates at the institutional and consortium level rather than funding individual researcher applications.
LMT and Horizon Europe
LMT hosts Lithuania’s National Contact Point (NCP) network for Horizon Europe, providing advisory support to applicants on eligibility, partner search and proposal strategy across the programme’s calls. As with every national NCP network, this is an advisory and coordination role: Horizon Europe proposals themselves are submitted through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and evaluated by the European Commission, not by LMT. For the general mechanics of how NCP networks function, see CASRAI’s guide to Horizon Europe National Contact Points, and for a broader introduction to the programme itself, see Horizon Europe and EU Research Funding: An Overview.
Lithuania participates in Horizon Europe as an EU member state, including under the Widening Participation and Spreading Excellence measures aimed at strengthening research capacity in member states with historically lower Horizon Europe participation rates. LMT’s NCP team is typically the first point of contact for a Lithuanian institution considering a Widening-track proposal such as Twinning, ERA Chairs or Teaming for Excellence — instruments compared in detail in CASRAI’s Widening instruments comparison.
What Applies to International Researchers Specifically
- Direct individual applications are limited. Most of LMT’s national programmes, including Researcher Groups Projects, require the applicant to be a Lithuanian research or higher-education institution; an international researcher generally needs a Lithuanian host institution or consortium partner to participate.
- Postdoctoral Fellowships and the Attracting Foreign Researchers measure are the two instruments most directly open to individual international applicants, both structured around a defined period of funded research at a Lithuanian host institution.
- Multinational joint calls (Baltic Research Programme, bilateral programmes, ERA-NET, COST) are a route in through a consortium rather than a solo application — a non-Lithuanian researcher typically needs a Lithuanian partner institution as part of the proposal.
- Horizon Europe applications go through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, not LMT directly, though LMT’s NCP team can advise Lithuanian-side partners and, in some cases, prospective coordinators, particularly for Widening instruments.
- Verify before applying. LMT’s programme portfolio, eligibility rules and open-call calendar change with each national and EU funding cycle. Treat programme names and structures in this guide as a starting orientation and confirm current details directly with LMT before drafting a proposal. Note that LMT’s web presence has migrated in places from lmt.lt to a lmt.lrv.lt domain as part of a broader move of Lithuanian state institutions onto the lrv.lt government domain space; if a link appears outdated, search the Council’s current site directly.
LMT in the Baltic Funding Landscape
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia each maintain a separate national research council, and international collaborators working across the Baltic region frequently need to engage with more than one. LMT’s counterparts are the Latvian Council of Science (LZP) and the Estonian Research Council (ETAg). All three participate in Horizon Europe as Widening-eligible member states, maintain their own NCP networks, and take part in the joint Baltic Research Programme described above — but a multi-country Baltic consortium will typically still need to secure funding through each national council separately for its own national partners, rather than through a single regional funding body. For the broader funding-instrument context, see CASRAI’s grants management and research funding hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does LMT stand for?
LMT stands for Lietuvos mokslo taryba, Lithuanian for “Research Council of Lithuania.” It is the country’s principal national research funding and science-policy advisory institution, founded in 1991.
Can a foreign researcher apply directly to LMT for funding?
It depends on the programme. LMT’s Postdoctoral Fellowships and its Attracting Foreign Researchers for Research Implementation measure are both aimed at bringing individual researchers, including those from abroad, to work at a Lithuanian host institution. Most other national programmes, such as Researcher Groups Projects, require the applicant to be a Lithuanian institution, so a foreign researcher generally needs a Lithuanian host or partner.
Is LMT the same body that handles Horizon Europe applications for Lithuania?
LMT hosts Lithuania’s National Contact Point network for Horizon Europe, providing advisory support to applicants, but Horizon Europe proposals are submitted through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and evaluated by the European Commission, not by LMT. LMT’s role is national coordination and advisory support, not proposal evaluation for EU-level calls.
What is the Baltic Research Programme?
The Baltic Research Programme is a joint funding mechanism requiring project partners from all three Baltic states — Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia — together with at least one partner from Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, reflecting the EEA/Norway Grants relationship those states have with the Baltic region.
Does LMT fund research through joint international calls?
Yes. LMT contributes Lithuania’s national share of funding to transnational joint-call networks such as ERA-NET and supports Lithuanian participation in COST Actions, and it maintains bilateral research-funding agreements such as its Lithuania-Poland programme. These generally require a Lithuanian partner institution as part of a multinational consortium rather than a solo application to LMT.
Where can I find current LMT funding calls and deadlines?
LMT publishes open calls, deadlines and eligibility criteria on its own website. Because programme cycles and EU co-funding periods change, and because the Council’s web presence has been migrating toward the lrv.lt Lithuanian government domain space, always confirm current details there directly rather than relying on a general overview.
