All eight projects were successfully completed by June 2017. The initial objectives have been achieved and in some projects even surpassed.
Results in Litauen
An overview of the results:
Research
Thanks to SCIEX fellowships 50 Lithuanian doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers have taken part in a fixed-term research residency at the Swiss universities of Lausanne, Geneva, Fribourg and Lucerne, and at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA). Lithuanian and Swiss higher education institutions also implemented 11 bilateral research projects and 9 institutional partnership projects together.
Project description (PDF, 2 Pages, 197.3 kB, English)
Mother and child healthcare
The project builds on the successful cooperation in the 1990s between Switzerland and Lithuania in the field of mother and child care and helps reduce differences in the quality of medical care provided in urban and rural areas. Swiss support for the Lithuanian health system has resulted in a marked reduction in infant mortality, which is now comparable to Switzerland's. All 27 hospitals have been equipped with modern equipment to monitor the condition of newborns (ultrasound devices and monitors, incubators, etc.). Three hospitals have also been equipped with special vehicles to transport premature babies. Over 2,300 nurses have been trained in how to use the new equipment.
Project description (PDF, 2 Pages, 488.7 kB)
Energy efficiency
24 hospitals have increased their energy efficiency and use of renewable energies. Depending on needs, each building was equipped with new windows, roofs, wall insulation, energy-efficient lighting and heating systems, improved hot water and electricity supplies, modern ventilation systems, solar panels and heat pumps. These investments have reduced the hospital's annual maintenance costs by EUR 45,000, improved the indoor temperature for mothers and babies, and reduced annual CO2 emissions by 10,000 tonnes.
Project description (PDF, 2 Pages, 488.7 kB)
Modernising the judiciary
Twenty-three courtrooms, 13 prisons and two prosecutors' offices have been equipped with videoconferencing units and audio recording devices so that the people involved in court proceedings can be linked up. A total of 142 court and prison staff in Lithuania have been trained in using the new communication technologies. This has helped greatly to increase the efficiency of the judiciary and the transparency of court proceedings in Lithuania.
Support funding for NGOs
NGOs have received funds to independently promote and strengthen civil society participation in the economic and social development of the country. A total of 97 sub-projects were implemented by NGOs, including 32 projects dedicated to strengthening voluntary action by the NGOs and 22 projects aimed at increasing cooperation between NGOs and municipalities. Swiss NGOs were involved in five of the projects on a partnership basis.
