IR. ZHORDANIA CENTER STUDYING PRODUCTIVE FORCES AND NATURAL RESOURCES OF GEORGIA (formerly The Commission) of The Georgian Technical University was established at the Presidium of the Georgian Academy of Sciences according to the Resolutions of the Council of Ministers of Georgian SSR No. 537 of 17 August, 1978 and No. 279 of 14 September, 1978. In 2006, the Commission obtained the status of a Legal Entity of Public Law and was named The Center Studying Productive Forces and Natural Resources of Georgia. Since 2010, according to the Resolution No. 185 of the Georgian Government the Center was reorganized into an independent research structural unit at The Georgian Technical University.

Academician Archil ​Dzidziguri, Member of the Presidium of the Georgian Academy of Sciences, was the Chairman of the Commission in 1978-1997; Academician  Irakli Zhordania - in 1997-2006, at present – Chief Research Scientist, the Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Center; Professor Ketevan Vezirishvili-Nozadze, Doctor of Technical Science, Member of the Georgian Engineering Academy was Director of the Center in 2006-2011; Professor Zurab Lomsadze, Doctor of Technical Science, Corresponding Member of the Georgian Engineering Academy has been Director of the Center since 2011.

The Center has always been represented by highly qualified scientific potential. At various times here worked: Academician A. Dzidziguri; Corresponding Member of the Academy K. Betaneli; Corresponding Member of Academy, President of the Academy of Economic Sciences of Georgia L. Chikava; Member of the Engineering Academy, Professor I. Tsintsadze; M. Metreveli, Full Member of the International Academy of Tourism, Corresponding Member of the Georgian Engineering Academy; Professors A. Bukhnikashvili, V. Melkadze, E. Nakaidze, N. Iashvili; Doctors of Science Sh. Oniani, A. Nanadze; as well as 22 Candidates of Science in various fields; Academician I. Mikeladze, Academician P. Tavadze, Academician G. Tsitsishvili, Academician V. Gomelauri, Academician I. Buachidze, Academician O. Natishvili, Academician T. Davitaia, Academician V. Gulisashvili, Academician A. Gunia, Corresponding Member of the Academy G. Svanidze, Member of the Engineering Academy, Professor T. Janelidze, Professor P. Zhgenti, Professor I. Zurabishvili, Professor Tsiskarishvili, Professor B. Demetradze and others took part in the work of Scientific Council.

Currently there are 3 scientific departments at the Center: 1. Department of mineral and energy resources; 2. Department of land, water and forest resources and ecology; 3. Department of human and natural-recreational resources and tourism.

21 scientists are working at the Center, including  10 Doctors of Sciences and 9 Academic Doctors, among them are: the Chairman of the Scientific Council Irakli Jordania – Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Georgia, laureate of the Lenin Prize in Science and Technology, recipient of Gold Medal of International Engineering Academy, Full Member of the Russian Engineering Academy and the International Engineering Academy; Tengiz Urushadze – Academician of the National Academy of Georgia, Corresponding Member the Royal Academy of Sciences  of Barcelona, Corresponding Member of the Academy of Science of ​​Catalonia, Editor-in-Chief of the international magazine "Agricultural Sciences Herald", member of the Editorial Board of the magazines "Chemical & Environment Research" (India), "Archives of Agronomy and Soil Sciense" (Austria), "Mitteilungen der deutschen dendrologischen Gesellschaft" ("The German Dendrological Society's Herald") (Germany); Nodar Tchitanava – Academician of the Academy of Agricultural Science; Giorgi Magalashvili – Doctor of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences, Professor, Full Member of the Georgian Engineering Academy, recipient  of a special jadeite prize (Beijing, the Second World Congress "The Problems of Non-Metallic Minerals"), Science Prize named after Kalistrat Gabunia, a Certificate of the International Exhibition and a Silver medal, Presidential diploma of the 27^th International Geological Congress and Silver Badge, Diploma for  the detection of four  mines, the title of Honored Geologist of Georgia, the Order of Honor.          Among the Center scientists are three Full Members of the Georgian Engineering Academy, one Corresponding Members, ten Professors.

The Center Studying Productive Forces and Natural Resources of Georgia of The Georgian Technical University serves to solve the most important tasks; its priority research area is to study, analyze and evaluate the potential of natural and human resources of the country and ​define long-term prospects for its rational and complex use taking into account environmental safety​.

The Center is the only multidisciplinary scientific institution on a national scale which owns new and constantly updated detailed information about all types of natural and human resources, on the basis of which it forms scientifically substantiated conceptual considerations on their efficient use.
In the Center, for the first time in the country,​natural resources​ and the problems of their rational use have been investigated in terms of regions​, that has clearly revealed the potential of natural riches and peculiarities of their use in ​ historically and administratively differed areas.

The obtained results are published in the Center's fundamental proceedings concerning natural resources of Ajara, Apkhazeti, Kvemo Kartli, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Shida Kartli, Guria, Imereti, Kakheti, Samegrelo, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Svaneti, Racha-Lechkhumi, Tbilisi. All of the proceedings have a broad-spectrum reference and manual character and are of scientific and practical importance to provide sustainable social-economic development of the regions with natural resources.

In 2015, the Center published the two-volume monograph "The Natural Resources of Georgia" (not for public use) which contains a comprehensive information about natural resources (land, water, forest resources, minerals, power, resort-recreational and tourist resources) and human resources of Georgia. Current state of the resources is analyzed and prospects for their optimal use are presented in the monograph. Much attention is given to environmental problems. Science-based proposals and recommendations are also suggested.