Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) and National Structural Integrity Research Centre (NSIRC) in Cambridge, United Kingdom has signed a cooperation agreement: until 2022 KTU will prepare 5 doctors of science for the Centre. KTU is one of 11 academic partners of NSIRC; among them are Brunel, Loughborough, Leicester, Manchester, Coventry, Southampton, Strathclyde and Birmingham universities.
NSIRC, with its central headquarters in Cambridge, is a company providing top level of studies combined with extensive hands-on experience in industry. Modern research equipment at the Centre is being funded by the State. However, NSIRC, which is not an educational institution, has to collaborate with academic partners in order to educate researchers who will be working with the Centre’s projects in the future.
“Fundamental knowledge, possibility to work with top researchers’ groups in the partners’ institutions, combined with industry experience and possibility to carry out research in the state-of-the-art laboratories of the Centre ensure development of highly qualified professionals, much needed in the labour market”, says Leonas 
Balaševičius, Director of KTU’s Research Department.
Balaševičius says that there is a need of researchers holding a doctoral degree in various fields of science; KTU was added to the existing 10 NSIRC partners as an institution, which is actively participating in international research projects and is globally recognised for its research quality.
The dissertation topics offered by NSIRC will be discussed and approved by KTU’s PhD scientific committees.
“We believe that various topics in measurement engineering, and also electrical and electronic, mechanical and materials science engineering will be covered in the theses of the selected candidates”, Balaševičius says.
An open international competition for the study places in the topics approved by KTU and NSIRC will be announced. The 5 selected candidates will be funded by the NSIRC.
“We are expecting that researchers from NSIRC and its academic partners will actively participate in KTU’s doctoral committees’ activities”, says Balaševičius.
Balaševičius says that both institutions will be involved in recruitment of potential students. The selected candidates will sign three-sided agreements. Future doctors of science will undertake research at NSIRC in Cambridge and the studies will take place at KTU. The students will be supervised by the University’s researchers; the doctoral theses will be defended and diplomas issued in Lithuania.
