Vilnius Business College Will Implement the AURA Research Project, Funded by the Research Council of Lithuania
The Research Council of Lithuania has confirmed funding for Vilnius Business College’s research project AURA – Auditable Rubric-Based Student Assessment in Higher Education using Vertical AI. The project will be implemented under the third call for proposals of the targeted program “Information Technologies for the Development of Science and the Knowledge Society.”
AURA represents a significant milestone in the scientific development of Vilnius Business College and an important achievement for the entire college sector. The funding from the Research Council of Lithuania under this call confirms that colleges can actively participate in high-level scientific research, develop innovative technological solutions, and contribute to the development of science and the knowledge society in Lithuania. It is particularly important that the field of artificial intelligence research and application is opening up more opportunities for the college sector, whose strengths lie in identifying practical problems, conducting applied research, and maintaining a direct connection to the learning process, organizations, and the needs of society.
The AURA project focuses on one of the most relevant contemporary areas of artificial intelligence research – the creation of reliable, explainable, and auditable artificial intelligence solutions. During the project, methods and technological solutions will be developed to enable artificial intelligence systems to assist in assessing student progress according to clear, auditable, and pedagogically sound evaluation criteria.
Gabija Skučaitė, director of the Vilnius Business College, emphasizes that artificial intelligence is one of the most important areas of technological and academic transformation today, but the general application of AI alone is no longer sufficient. The ability to create vertical artificial intelligence solutions tailored to specific fields, specific problems, and the real needs of institutions is becoming increasingly important. The AURA project is specifically focused on such a vertical application of AI—the processes of assessing the progress of higher education students, which require not only technological precision but also transparency, validity, and accountability.
Although the project is designed for higher education assessment processes, its results will have broader implications for research into reliable artificial intelligence, the development of human-AI interaction, and decision-making systems that require clarity, explainability, and auditability.
AURA also represents a logical continuation of Vilnius Business College’s strategic focus on artificial intelligence. In recent years, the College has been systematically strengthening its AI competencies in academic programs, technological solutions, and international partnerships. This project marks the next stage – active engagement in research and innovation, the results of which can contribute to the development of advanced artificial intelligence solutions in Lithuania and within the international academic community.
The scientific leader of the project’s international team is Professor Dr. Jari Kaivo-oja, Research Director at the Finland Futures Research Centre at the University of Turku. He is one of Finland’s most renowned researchers in the fields of futures studies and innovation, with many years of experience in European Union research programs and international research and innovation projects. During the project, Prof. J. Kaivo-oja will contribute to the development of the project’s international impact strategy, the dissemination of results, the innovation implementation model, and the creation of a collaboration ecosystem.
The AURA project strengthens the scientific potential of Vilnius Business College and, at the same time, demonstrates the broader potential of the college sector to actively participate in the development of science-based artificial intelligence solutions designed to address real-world challenges in higher education, the quality of studies, and the assessment of student progress.
