The government is considering transferring 10 million State real estate worth EUR XNUMX to Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), after selling it, the university plans to renovate study campuses in Vilnius and Beautiful buildings.
The draft of the Government's resolution prepared by the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports stipulates that a total of 43 objects in Vilnius, Kaunas, Prienai district, currently managed by the university under a trust agreement, will be transferred.
Among the assets to be transferred are the houses of two interwar Kaunas mayors in the modernist architectural style, located on Putvinskis street.
The first house, built in 1932, designed by Edmund Alfonso Frykas and decorated with bas-reliefs by sculptor Juoz Zikars, belonged to the then city manager Antanas Gravrogkas.
The owner of the second house, designed by architect Aleksanders Gordevičius, was mayor Jonas Vileišis between the wars. In 1934-1938, the United States Embassy was located in the building called J. Vileišios House.
At that time, it is planned to sell the university building on Valakupių street in Vilnius, where the European Humanities University used to operate, as well as the adjacent dormitory, garage and other buildings.
We also want to sell residential buildings in Kaunas, administrative buildings, warehouses, classrooms and other buildings located in Kalvarijos street, Prienai district.
"The real estate objects would be sold, and the received funds would be invested in the modernization and reconstruction of the buildings of the university's academic campuses, located at Ateities street 20 in Vilnius and Maironio street 27 in Kaunas," said the Minister of Education, Science and Sports Jurgita Šiugždinienė during the Government meeting.
For her part, Finance Minister Gintarė Skaistė said that the Ministry of Finance has doubts about the fact that, as stated, the value of the property to be transferred "may not be completely justified" as declared by independent property appraisers, and since the expected investments are of the same size, "it is possible that those there will be a real shortage of money."
For her part, J. Šiugždinienė said that the university assures that it will not ask for state funds and that the investment project will be implemented only from the funds received from the sale of the buildings and from the university's funds.
The Ministry of Finance says that some assets are of low value, including even wooden outdoor toilets, and that it lacks information on all state-owned assets under management.
The chancellor of the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports, Julius Lukošius, claimed that there are eight stages planned for managing study campuses, so if it was thought that at least one of them would not have enough money, "it would not even have been started".
"We have put safeguards in place to avoid such a situation that we dismantle the entire university and then run out of funds to complete it: there are eight stages, each stage is completed from beginning to end, only then do we move on to the next," said the chancellor.
For the money received, the University plans to reconstruct and modernize the infrastructure of studies and scientific research, experimental development and innovation in Vilnius, to equip facilities for the Children and Youth Day Center, archive, document digitization. It is also promised to update the premises of the library, start-up and creative workshops, catering services, study staff, spaces for academic and administrative staff.
Also in the capital, in the complex of the university's central palace, it is planned to renovate the sports complex, to equip buildings "to develop professional competences, to foster a healthy and physically active lifestyle".
At that time, it is planned to renovate the study and scientific research, experimental development and innovation, academic staff premises in Kaunas.
Author Ignas Jačauskas
