Vilius Kučiukas

Research Management System (VDU CRIS) Architect at Vytautas Magnus University Library

Vilius Kučiukas is a CRIS System Architect at Vytautas Magnus University (2018–present) with more than four decades of experience in academic and library information systems. He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Engineering from Kaunas University of Technology (1975–1980), where he subsequently worked as a programmer (1980–1992) and later as the head of the Computing Department (1992–2000). From 2000 to 2010 he led the Software for Libraries Department and the Development Group of the Lithuanian Academic Libraries Network (LABT), followed by key roles in national and international projects, including OpenAIRE, the eLABa specification development group, and the LiDA software development team (2010–2012). His professional achievements include authoring major national information system specifications and software solutions: the LIBIS specification (1995), the LieMSIS specification (1999), the LABT/eLABa research production reporting system (2001), the eLABa specification (2011), the Lituanistika expertise and LiDA systems (2011), the KUSoftas CMS (2013–present), the Lituanistika portal software (2021), and the long-term development of the VDU CRIS platform (2008–present). VDU CRIS profile: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12259/148205

Library builds comprehensive University research profile

This presentation introduces Vytautas Magnus University Library’s journey in creating and managing an information system related to research and scientific activities. Starting with DSpace repository administration in 2015, the library developed it into the implementation of Vytautas Magnus University Research Management System (VDU CRIS, based on DSpace-CRIS open source software) in 2019.

VDU CRIS operates as a unified platform designed to collect, manage, preserve, evaluate, and disseminate the university’s research and academic information, including publications, research data, final academic papers, projects, researcher profiles, research units, events, and other data. The system addresses essential institutional needs: automating research information processes, increasing research visibility and openness, ensuring accessibility for both the University and external stakeholders, and maintaining compliance with international standards and FAIR principles.

The system’s key benefits include improved decision-making through structured data analytics, streamlined reporting for national and international evaluations, support for open science initiatives, and enhanced research collaboration opportunities. The presentation will cover the system’s objectives, tasks, integration capabilities with external databases, and other results from more than six years of operation.

The presentation reveals how an academic library can evolve from traditional repository managers to strategic partners in institutional research management, demonstrating the transformation of scattered research and scientific activity information into a comprehensive, accessible, and analytically powerful research system.

Date and time: 2025-12-02, 16:20-16:40 (20 min)

Hall: GAMMA