The winners of the BUP PhD Award 2025

The aim of the award is to support high-quality research promoting sustainable development in a Baltic Sea Region context. Winning the BUP PhD Award means you receive a prize in the form of a certificate and support of up to a maximum of 1000 Euro for either attending a scientific conference or publishing in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

The research area of Natural Sciences, Technology and Engineering

The winner of the BUP PhD Award 2025 in the research area of Natural Sciences and Technologies is Karina Egle, Riga Technical University, Latvia. The name of the thesis is “Development of Autologous Fibrin Matrices for Medical Application”. The motivation from the Scientific Committee was the following:

Overall, the PhD thesis impresses with its work on a socially relevant topic, the application of innovative approaches, its strong interdisciplinary approach and the achievement of extremely promising scientific results with high potential for practical application.

The main aim of the thesis was the extension of the clinical functionality of platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) for interaction with pharmaceuticals and bioactive hydrogels. Development of PRF matrices for controlled drug delivery, tissue regeneration, or maxillofacial surgery has been a topic of many research projects. The novelty of the thesis is the elaboration of a new drug delivery system to replace synthetic materials with nature derived materials. The most valuable assets of the thesis are: the development of a new class of multifunctional PRF, which enables controlled drug delivery of biologically active molecules and the development of a hydrogel capable of modulating the release of bioactive molecules.

In the thesis, autologous biomaterials that combine antimicrobial and regenerative capabilities in a personalised, biocompatible, and environmentally sustainable manner are described. Advanced biomedical innovations delivered by the thesis are aligned with environmental protection and regional development priorities, also in BSR. A broad multi-disciplinary approach was chosen from materials science and pharmacology to tissue engineering and clinical research – also through cross-border collaboration. Sustainability aspects are shown in relation to SDG goals, including circular economy in healthcare systems. The originality and innovation of the thesis are clearly shown in three peer-reviewed research articles and one review article published in international journals with a multitude of citations.

The supervisor was:

• Arita Dubņika

Full thesis online via the Riga Technical University's website.

The research area of Social Sciences and Humanities

The winner of the BUP PhD Award 2025 in the research area of Social Sciences and Humanities is Jonė Vitkauskaitė-Ramanauskienė, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania. The name of the thesis is “Sociological Evaluation of an Intervention Model for the Promotion of Sustainable Mobility”. The motivation from the Scientific Committee was the following:

Most of the measures provided for in the strategic transport planning in Lithuania are aimed at physical barriers preventing residents from choosing more sustainable modes of mobility, such as public transport, non-motorized transport or walking. However, the behavior of individuals is influenced not only by external but also by internal socio-psychological factors - attitudes, subjective social norms, perceived behavioral control.

With the help of a gamified social intervention, designed and tested by the author, this thesis looks beyond infrastructure and policy to focus on the social and psychological barriers to sustainable mobility. Using competition and group-based behavioral change, the author demonstrates creative thinking in approaching old problems from a fresh angle. The thesis is highly topical and socially significant, as urban transportation is a major contributor to CO₂ emissions, noise pollution and traffic congestion, which significantly influences the quality of social life. The study is rooted in sociology, but it brings in psychology, behavioral sciences, and environmental studies. A mix of theories and methods enriches the research and ensures that both human behavior and environmental impact are looked upon as factors of interaction.

The regional focus, combined with practical recommendations, makes this thesis an important contribution to a sustainable development in the Baltic Sea Region.

The supervisor was:

• Audronė Telešienė

Full thesis, in Lithuanian, can be read by downloading it here (PDF). pdf, 4 MB.