From the website:

"The mission of the Vilnius Yiddish Institute — the VYI — is to provide academic and cultural programs for the preservation, enrichment, and continuity of Yiddish and East European Jewish culture. Thereby, it aims to benefit present and future generations the world over, Jews and non-Jews alike.

The Vilnius Yiddish Institute was founded in 2001 by Jewish scholars from the United States and Israel working in partnership with young Lithuanian academics who had studied in America and Israel. Together, they were determined to build a viable new institution that would provide cultural, academic, and other educational programs."

The Institute also organizes an annual summer course (see also this events page).