Six of the postgraduate students will receive a monthly scholarship of 1,300 litas (EUR 376.8) and the remaining seven will be get scholarships and a grant to cover their tuition fees.
The aid is offered to students from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine, as well as foreigners of Lithuanian origin from third countries, the ministry said.
According to the press release, the financial aid is expected to help attract motivated young people to Lithuania who would get involved in research projects and cooperate in science, educational, and business valleys under development and possibly proceed to doctoral studies.
Acting Education and Science Minister Gintaras Steponavičius said Lithuania's focus on young people from post-Soviet was strategic.
"By providing state support to postgraduate studies, we promote Lithuanian universities so that they can attract more gifted foreigners. After returning home, the connections they started in Lithuania often continue. We hope that they will not only cooperate in joint research projects but also serve as Lithuania's science ambassadors in their countries," Steponavičius said.
The selection of candidates will be carried out by a panel approved by the minister.
Support to postgraduate students from third countries has been provided for the third consecutive year. In 2011, support was given to six students, three from Azerbaijan and three from Ukraine.
This year, 11 students received financial support: three from Azerbaijan, two from Kazakhstan, three from Ukraine, and three from Belarus.
In 2010, a total of 105 students from third countries enrolled in postgraduate studies in Lithuania, as compared with 329 last year.
