Programme overview

The Innovation Governance, Law & Communication doctoral programme addresses one of the defining challenges of the 21st century – how to govern technological and societal transformation in a trustworthy, ethical, and strategic manner.

It integrates insights from law, strategic communication, and innovation management, providing a cross-disciplinary framework for research on how institutions, technologies, and discourses co-evolve.

The programme is designed for highly motivated candidates with a strong academic background and research interest in the intersections of regulation, communication, and innovation ecosystems. It encourages empirical and theoretical inquiry across qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methodologies, under the supervision of interdisciplinary teams.

Annual Tuition Fee

Doctoral students studying at a non-state-funded doctoral place pay for their studies in accordance with the procedure established in the doctoral study agreement.

• Full-time studies (4 years) – €6,764 (per year);
• Part-time studies (6 years) – €4,509 (per year).

Programme structure

Type: Doctoral Studies (ISCED 8), full-time/part-time
Duration: full-time studies 4 years; part-time studies 6 years
Credits: 30 ECTS (doctoral-level courses and research training)
Language of Instruction: English
Qualification Awarded: Doctoral Degree (interdisciplinary science fields: Law, Management, Communication and Information).

Doctoral students pursue independent research within Vilnius University’s interdisciplinary environment, participate in doctoral seminars and international projects, and may engage in research and development internships abroad under institutional collaboration agreements.

Admission Requirements

Doctoral research should focus on, but is not limited to, the following areas:

• Legal Design for Innovation Acceleration. Smart regulation, public–private governance mechanisms, and innovation-friendly legal environments.
• Strategic Communication and Regulatory Narratives. Legitimacy-building, narrative analysis, and communication of complex policy frameworks.
• Innovation Ecosystem Resilience. Systemic approaches to policy coherence, trust, and adaptive governance under uncertainty.
• Data Governance and Ethical Communication. Interactions between data law, algorithmic transparency, and public trust.
• Comparative Innovation Law and Policy. Cross-jurisdictional studies of how legal traditions shape technological diffusion.
• Organisational and Legal Foresight. Scenario-based regulatory design, anticipatory governance, and futures literacy.

More details about admission requirements can be found HERE.