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A series of university mergers have been outlined as part of a major reform of higher education in Lithuania.

The nation's education and science minister, Jurgita Petrauskiene, said that the reforms are designed to concentrate resources and unite scientific research groups, which are currently fragmented.

The reorganisation will see two universities in the capital of Vilnius merged with Vilnius 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ and further mergers in the country¡¯s second largest city, Kaunas, to create a new institution, according to a .

A working group on higher education reform said that the two institutions should be international level universities.

¡°None of the universities is being closed down,¡± said Ms Petrauskiene.

¡°The reorganisation of the network is aimed at concentrating the fragmented potential to ensure more efficient management, to ensure the concentration of resources, especially in the field of scientific research, where we have many small, fragmented groups today,¡± she added.

As part of the reorganisation Mykolas Romeris 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ and the Lithuanian 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Educational Sciences, both in Vilnius, and Siauliai 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, in the city of Siauliai, would be absorbed by Vilnius 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ.

Meanwhile, Kaunas 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Technology, Vytautas Magnus 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, Aleksandras Stulginskis 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ and the Lithuanian Sports 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ would be merged to create a new broad-scope university in Kaunas.

Two separate technological universities, in Vilnius and Klaipeda, are also planned as part of the reform.

holly.else@timeshighereducation.com