We are pleased to invite you to visit the 18^th Rodens et spatium – International Conference on Rodent Biology 2026, held in Kaunas, Lithuania on May 18 – 22, 2026.

Steering committee
Chairman – Herwig Leirs (Belgium)
Linas Balčiauskas (Lithuania)
Abdelfouadi Benmouloud (Algeria)
Ana Maria Benedek (Romania)
Zbigniew Borowski (Poland)
Josef Bryja (Czech)
Nathalie Charbonnel (France)
Frauke Ecke (Sweden)
Dominique Fauteux (Canada)
Heikki Henttonen (Finland)
Jens Jacob (Germany)
Boris Krasnov (Israel)
Xavier Lambin (United Kingdom)
Juan Luque-Larena (Spain)
Maria da Luz Mathias (Portugal)
Rick Ostfeld (USA)
František Sedláček (Czech Republic)
Grant Singleton (Australia)
Mustafa Sözen (Turkey)
Valentina Tagliapietra (Italy)
Nigel Yoccoz (Norway)

Local committee
Chairman –Algimantas Paulauskas (Lithuania)
Asta Aleksandravičienė (Lithuania)
Loreta Griciuvienė (Lithuania)
Evelina Kaminskienė (Lithuania)
Indrė Lipatova (Lithuania)
Dalytė Mardosaitė-Busaitienė (Lithuania)
Jana Radzijevskaja (Lithuania)
Miglė Razgūnaitė (Lithuania)
Irma Ražanskė (Lithuania)
Dominykas Repečka (Lithuania)
Povilas Sakalauskas (Lithuania)
Marina Sidorenko (Lithuania)
Justina Snegiriovaitė (Lithuania)

Conference abstracts will be published in a scientific proceedings volume with an ISSN. They will not undergo language proofreading; authors are responsible for the linguistic quality. Please follow the instructions below when preparing your abstract:

1. Language: English
2. Structure: First name and surname of all authors; presenting author must be underlined and their email address included. List the full affiliation(s) and institutional address(es) for all co-authors.
3. Content: No subdivision into introduction, materials and methods, results, etc.
4. Font: Times New Roman
5. Length: Maximum of 300 words.
6. Line spacing: 1.15, with 3 cm margins on all sides, and align text to the justify.
7. No figures, no tables should be included in the abstract.
8. Prepare the text as a Word document.
9. Name the file after the presenting author: Surname_Name_Rodens.doc(x).
10. Send abstracts as an email attachment to: rodens@vdu.lt with the subject “abstract_poster” or “abstract_oral”.
11. The abstract template is available for download HERE

Poster size and orientation: A1 formate: 90 x 120 m; portrait orientation.

Presenting authors are requested to be available during the poster sessions. All poster boards will be labelled with a poster number, which you will find in the programme booklet on-site.

There is no presentation template, but remember that text should be readable at any conditions

• Language: English
• Oral presentation should not last longer than 10 min (+ 5 min questions).
• Plenary presentation: 55 min (+ 5 min questions).

Kaunas previously known as Kovno. It is the second largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Modern Kaunas is a European city with beautiful architecture, medieval monuments and unique museums. In 2022 Kaunas was chosen as the European Capital of Culture. Kaunas interwar architecture was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. About 1500 buildings are recognized as a significant value for all of humanity, present and future generations.

Citizens of the EU and most European countries (including all Scandinavian countries) do not require a visa to enter Lithuania. For detailed information, please visit the website of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs: www.urm.lt. There are two international airports in Lithuania: one is located just outside of Kaunas, and the other one is in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.

Arrivals by plane

Direct flights to Kaunas or Vilnius airports are most likely available from your country.

City bus Numbers 29 and 29E go directly from Kaunas airport to the city centre. More information about fares from the airport is available at www.kaunas-airport.lt

Arrivals by bus

The distance between Kaunas and Vilnius is 100 km. Information about airport express from Vilnius airport can be found here: ollex.lt
Bus schedules within Kaunas can be accessed at kvt.lt and stops.lt.

Buses between Kaunas and Vilnius depart several times an hour between 5AM and midnight. The journey takes about 1.5 hours. Most buses have (free) wireless internet. For international travel Ecolines (ecolines.net) and other companies operate several daily buses from Riga and Tallinn, and from other national capitals of Europe.

By train

Kaunas train station (map) is located nearby to the bus station (map) in the city center. Several daily trains go between Kaunas and other major cities. Tickets and timetables can be found at litrail

How to find us

CONFERENCE VENUE: S. Daukanto str. 28, Kaunas

Accommodations should be booked by the participants themselves.
Here is a sample list of possible hotels and hostels nearest to the Conference venue:

• Extra Hostel
• Hotel Metropolis
• Kaunas Apartments
• Park Inn by Radisson Kaunas
• Hof Hotel
• Best Baltic Kaunas
• Ibis Kaunas Centre

These are all within walking distance to the Conference venue Keisti į These are all within walking distance to the Conference venue.

There are many public transit stops nearby the Conference venue, which is reachable from any part of Kaunas Keisti į There are many public transit.

There are also a lot of apartments available for rent. Feel free to explore for more options via booking.com or other services.
The Conference venue is located in the center of Kaunas at Vytautas Magnus University, whose address is – S.Daukanto str. 28, Kaunas, Lithuania.

There are many public transit stops nearby the Conference venue, which is reachable from any part of Kaunas.
Here is a suggested app and website for traveling in the city: trafi.com