VIKO lays the groundwork for the HEROES Friends programme in the Vilnius region 

Cooperation with the Vilnius Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts  – first steps in introducing the HEROES Alliance to the regional business community 

On 15 April, Vilniaus kolegija / Higher Education Institution and the Vilnius Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts jointly organised a practical training on AI in advertising, bringing together around 40 representatives from small and medium-sized enterprises and marketing professionals. The training was part of the AIforSMEs project. 

For the VIKO team, this was more than a training day, it was one of the first concrete steps in laying the groundwork for the HEROESFriends programme in the Vilnius region. As a partner in the HEROES European University Alliance, Vilniaus kolegija is building sustainable connections between the Alliance and the companies and organisations around it, together with its regional stakeholders. The Vilnius Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Crafts is one of VIKO’s key regional stakeholders, and joint events of this kind are a natural setting to introduce the Alliance to the business community, listen to its challenges, and explore where challenge-based learning, student internships, applied research and shared training topics can meet real needs. 

During the event, Joana Lapkovskaja, Head of VIKO’s Service to Society and Community Office, presented the Alliance to the participants: 

“As both a Chamber member and a HEROES Alliance partner, Vilniaus kolegija is looking for the points where regional business needs and international academic cooperation meet. That is the kind of synergy we are glad to be part of — one that connects businesses to an international context and contributes, step by step, to the competitiveness of Lithuania and the wider European Union.” 

Each conversation with a regional company, each shared event, each stakeholder engaged in dialogue brings the HEROESFriends network in the region one step closer to life.