LIETUVOS RESPUBLIKOS ZEMES UKIO MINISTERIJA

Their core work

Lithuania's Ministry of Agriculture serves as the national policy authority for agriculture, food production, and animal health. Within H2020, it acts as a governmental funding body participating in ERA-NET Cofund actions — coordinating national research priorities and co-funding transnational research calls in sustainable food systems and animal disease control. Its role is to align Lithuanian agricultural research with European priorities and channel national funding into cross-border research initiatives.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early participation (2016-2017) focused on broad sustainable agriculture themes — animal production systems and food chain sustainability, with emphasis on knowledge exchange and multi-actor approaches. By 2019, focus shifted toward more specific and urgent challenges: infectious animal diseases, vaccinology, diagnostics, and antimicrobial resistance (ICRAD). This reflects a move from general sustainability frameworks toward targeted disease preparedness and food safety concerns.

Moving toward infectious disease preparedness and antimicrobial resistance — topics likely to remain high priority given ongoing African swine fever concerns in the Baltic region.

How they like to work

Exclusively a participant, never a coordinator — consistent with their role as a national ministry contributing policy alignment and co-funding rather than scientific leadership. They operate in large ERA-NET consortia (57 unique partners across 26 countries), joining broad European networks rather than building tight bilateral partnerships. Working with them means accessing Lithuanian national funding streams and policy support for transnational research calls.

Broad European network spanning 57 partners across 26 countries, built through ERA-NET consortia that typically involve most EU member states' funding agencies and ministries. No visible geographic concentration — the network reflects the pan-European nature of ERA-NET actions.

What sets them apart

As a national ministry rather than a research institute, their value lies in policy influence and co-funding capacity — they can mobilize Lithuanian national research budgets for transnational calls. For consortium builders, partnering with them means securing governmental backing and ensuring research aligns with Lithuanian agricultural policy priorities. They are particularly relevant for projects addressing Baltic-region agricultural challenges such as African swine fever.

Highlights from their portfolio

• ICRAD
  Their largest funded project (EUR 73,425) addressing the urgent topic of infectious animal diseases including African swine fever — a critical concern for Baltic states.
• SUSFOOD2
  Major ERA-NET Cofund covering the full food chain from production to consumption, with direct relevance to food waste reduction and sustainable processing.