A decade after the nomination of the last Vilnius University (VU) patron, seven persons and entities have been awarded the patron’s title for their understanding of and support for the VU mission and significant material assistance to VU and its community.
One of the new patrons is LIGHT CONVERSION, represented by the Board Chairman, Dr. Romualdas Danielius. On top of that, the City Council of Vilnius nominated Dr. Romualdas Danielius and other stakeholders in the VU Foundation as patrons of the Vilnius City Municipality on 4 March 2020.
VU Foundation
The Vilniaus University Foundation is the first and only university-based untouchable capital investment fund in Lithuania. Founded by VU alumni, it aims to achieve a competitive edge for VU on a global scale. Support donated to the VU Foundation is invested, and the return goes to fund the most gifted students, attract the most skilled professors and scholars from abroad, promote internships of current scholars and students, develop curricula that mirror global needs, conduct research, and carry out other activities that generate added value for VU.
Vilnius University Foundation was established on April 6, 2016, thus becoming the first university endowment in Lithuania. The Foundation establishing treaty was signed by the first three investors – professor Algis Petras Piskarskas on behalf of LIGHT CONVERSION, Rimantas Kraujalis on behalf of EKSPLA, and investor Alvydas Žabolis.
Founded to establish an endowment capital fund, Vilnius University Foundation uses the return made from investment to ensure university’s financial stability, finance studies, internships, establish scholarships and mobility grants for the most talented students and scholars at home and abroad. The Foundation supports scientific research of the highest quality and the creation of study programs that correspond to global demands and encourages other high added-value projects.
About Dr. Romualdas Danielius
Dr. Danielius is the majority shareholder and chief scientific officer of LIGHT CONVERSION. During his entire career, Dr. Danielius has designed several devices that are unique, stable, and widely used around the globe, such as the optical parametric amplifier TOPAS (designed ca. 1991; owing to its general popularity, the name TOPAS has become a common noun in academia); the powerful femtosecond high repetition rate tunable lasers PHAROS and CARBIDE (designed in 2006 and 2015) that have broad research and industrial applications; ophthalmologic laser systems that have already made their way into doctors’ offices, indicating further significant expansion of LIGHT CONVERSION’s products.
Dr. Danielius has co-authored more than 300 scientific publications. Notably, there are more than 60 published, peer-reviewed articles in various science magazines since the founding of MGF Šviesos Konversija (currently known as LIGHT CONVERSION) in 1994. The abundance of their citations – close to 2,600 – defines their scientific value. The h index of the publications is 29.