Research

        One of the greatest challenges of modern science is not only to increase the amount of publicly available scientific information but also to make this information transparent and comprehensible. Only abundant and clear research findings are likely to be applied by the public outside the scientific community; therefore, the mission of sport science as a rapidly developing academic discipline is to raise the community awareness about different issues related to health enhancement, athlete training, recreation, and rehabilitation.

          The efforts to set up research activities can be traced back to the early days of the University; however, it took until 1952 before more comprehensive research initiatives were started with the establishment of the first research facilities. Since the beginning the University has gained the reputation of a leading institution in sport science in Lithuania with exceptionally high potential for creating, accumulating and disseminating knowledge in this area; the potential that is essential for carrying out its principal mission to promote the values of physical education and sport that lead to community health enhancement and a better quality of life.

All current research projects and activities undertaken by the University’s scientists are carried out in five key research areas:

•      COUCHING SCIENCE, SPORTS PHYSIOLOGY AND GENETICS
•      SKELETAL MUSCLES, MOTOR CONTROL AND REHABILITATION
•      HEALTH, PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL EDUCATION IN THE SOCIETY UNDERGOING CHANGES
•      LEISURE MANAGEMENT, ECONOMIC AND SOCIOLOGY
•      PHYSIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL ASPECTS OF EMPOWERMENT OF DISABLED

The services provided by the research groups working in the well-equipped laboratories and their produced results are highly estimated for their relevance and quality. The research projects developed in cooperation with or commissioned by different national, regional and local organisations, including Lithuanian National Olympic and Paralympic Committees, National Department of Physical Education and Sports and sports federations help to increase the performance of high-level athletes and optimize their training process, to motivate people to be physically active, to facilitate rehabilitation and social integration of the disabled and elderly population and to address many other issues and areas of concern.

Since 1968 the University publishes a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal EDUCATION. PHYSICAL TRAINING. SPORT (Ugdymas. Kūno kultūra. Sportas). With many leading national and international scientists on its Editorial Board, the journal publishes original and review papers on a wide range of topics in social sciences, biomedical sciences, physical sciences and humanities, and is listed in several major bibliographic databases. Starting from 1995 together with the Lithuanian Sports Science Council, Lithuanian Olympic Academy and Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences, the Academy is a co-publisher of another scientific journal SPORT SCIENCE (Sporto mokslas).

In the coming years, the University will seek to further enhance research quality and move research to the international level by building institutional capacities for research, linking research to teaching and training, and promoting research culture among students and teachers.