GTU Rector Meets With Representatives of the US Embassy and American Councils
20-05-2025
Within the framework of the University Capacity Building Program (UCBP), Rector of the Georgian Technical University, Academician David Gurgenidze, met with Evan Calli, Cultural Attaché of the US Embassy in Georgia, Timothy K. Blauvelt, Regional Director of the South Caucasus organization “American Councils for International Education”, and Professor Bhaskar Das of the University at Buffalo (USA) and discussed collaboration opportunities within the framework of the third phase of the UCBP.
The meeting, which was held at the university, was attended by the President of the University’s Supervisory Board, Professor Zurab Gudavadze, Vice-Rectors Tamar Tsereteli and Tamar Lominadze, university administration representatives, deans of faculties, as well as Sophio Bzishvili, Head of Grant Projects and Higher Education Programs of the Public Diplomacy Section of the United States Embassy in Georgia, and Natia Sirdadze, Coordinator of the “American Councils” “University Capacity Development Program”.
Rector, Academician David Gurgenidze, spoke about the importance of the United States as a strategic partner of Georgia in the country’s educational and scientific space development. He thanked the US Embassy in Georgia and the “American Councils” for their support. He noted that with the direct involvement of the Government of Georgia, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, and the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth, the University Capacity Building Program (UCBP) continues successfully.
David Gurgenidze reviewed the results of the first and second phases of the “University Capacity Development Program”. As the rector noted, during the first phase, along with the development of entrepreneurial culture and the promotion of the process of commercialization of technologies at the Georgian Technical University, partnership relations between the university, industry, and government structures were strengthened.
According to the rector, the second phase of the program considered the university’s challenges to the maximum extent, shared the best experience proven in the American scientific and academic space, and strengthened partnerships with American universities and scientific and research centers.
According to David Gurgenidze, experts highly appreciate the successful steps taken towards sustainability.
“We believe that one of the solid foundations of relations between the two countries will be cooperation between educational and scientific spaces. Georgian Technical University, in the academic direction, has been closely cooperating with San Diego State University for many years, and we will host its president, Mrs. Adela de la Torre, shortly. We also have collaborate with the University of Arizona. It is noteworthy that within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding, scientific collaboration connects us with one of the largest American scientific centers in the world, FERMILAB. In the DUNE experiment underway there our university scientists are participating. We are eager to have more versatile cooperation opportunities with American universities, to expand and deepen both academic and scientific collaborations, and to conduct them in such a diverse, global context, as we have with leading universities and major scientific research centers in Europe and Asia. We hope that within the framework of the UCBP program, we will establish close relations with those American universities having scientific and research ties with the Fermi Laboratory, which will strengthen targeted cooperation. Scientists, young researchers, and students of the Georgian Technical University will be involved in it. The Georgian Technical University has specific goals in the third phase. We need to set real results, allowing the university to actively and sustainably develop in the direction of internationalization of teaching and research. We wish success to the “University Capacity Development Program” and its participating parties,” said the rector, David Gurgenidze.
At the meeting, the parties discussed the work of the third phase of the program and ways to maximize the use of existing resources, as well as exchanged views on the main focuses of the third phase of the UCBP.
At the end of the meeting, representatives of the Embassy of the United States of America in Georgia and the organization “American Councils” thanked the Rector, Academician David Gurgenidze, and the university administration for the reception. As they noted, the third phase of the “University Capacity Development Program” will be implemented as successfully as the previous phases, and cooperation with American universities and scientific centers will bring tangible commercial results to the Georgian Technical University.
Within the framework of the third phase of the “University Capacity Development Program”, the workshops will continue for five days at the Georgian Technical University. The parties will discuss three scientific projects developed by the university researchers: “Bioinformatics Modeling Software for the Novel Coronavirus”, “Artificial Intelligence-Based Computer Analysis of the Visual Field” and “Smart Agriculture in Honey Bee Breeding”, which were selected by Professor Bhaskar Das, Head of the Department of Medicine and Biotherapeutic Discovery at the University at Buffalo. During the workshops, GTU researchers, with an American scientist, will work on preparing grant proposals.
After preparing a grant proposal, the Georgian Technical University will submit the above projects to the United States of America for funding in collaboration with American universities.
For information, the University Capacity Building Program (UCBP) is implemented by the “American Councils for International Education” with the support of the US Embassy in Georgia.
The meeting, which was held at the university, was attended by the President of the University’s Supervisory Board, Professor Zurab Gudavadze, Vice-Rectors Tamar Tsereteli and Tamar Lominadze, university administration representatives, deans of faculties, as well as Sophio Bzishvili, Head of Grant Projects and Higher Education Programs of the Public Diplomacy Section of the United States Embassy in Georgia, and Natia Sirdadze, Coordinator of the “American Councils” “University Capacity Development Program”.
Rector, Academician David Gurgenidze, spoke about the importance of the United States as a strategic partner of Georgia in the country’s educational and scientific space development. He thanked the US Embassy in Georgia and the “American Councils” for their support. He noted that with the direct involvement of the Government of Georgia, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, and the Ministry of Education, Science and Youth, the University Capacity Building Program (UCBP) continues successfully.
David Gurgenidze reviewed the results of the first and second phases of the “University Capacity Development Program”. As the rector noted, during the first phase, along with the development of entrepreneurial culture and the promotion of the process of commercialization of technologies at the Georgian Technical University, partnership relations between the university, industry, and government structures were strengthened.
According to the rector, the second phase of the program considered the university’s challenges to the maximum extent, shared the best experience proven in the American scientific and academic space, and strengthened partnerships with American universities and scientific and research centers.
According to David Gurgenidze, experts highly appreciate the successful steps taken towards sustainability.
“We believe that one of the solid foundations of relations between the two countries will be cooperation between educational and scientific spaces. Georgian Technical University, in the academic direction, has been closely cooperating with San Diego State University for many years, and we will host its president, Mrs. Adela de la Torre, shortly. We also have collaborate with the University of Arizona. It is noteworthy that within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding, scientific collaboration connects us with one of the largest American scientific centers in the world, FERMILAB. In the DUNE experiment underway there our university scientists are participating. We are eager to have more versatile cooperation opportunities with American universities, to expand and deepen both academic and scientific collaborations, and to conduct them in such a diverse, global context, as we have with leading universities and major scientific research centers in Europe and Asia. We hope that within the framework of the UCBP program, we will establish close relations with those American universities having scientific and research ties with the Fermi Laboratory, which will strengthen targeted cooperation. Scientists, young researchers, and students of the Georgian Technical University will be involved in it. The Georgian Technical University has specific goals in the third phase. We need to set real results, allowing the university to actively and sustainably develop in the direction of internationalization of teaching and research. We wish success to the “University Capacity Development Program” and its participating parties,” said the rector, David Gurgenidze.
At the meeting, the parties discussed the work of the third phase of the program and ways to maximize the use of existing resources, as well as exchanged views on the main focuses of the third phase of the UCBP.
At the end of the meeting, representatives of the Embassy of the United States of America in Georgia and the organization “American Councils” thanked the Rector, Academician David Gurgenidze, and the university administration for the reception. As they noted, the third phase of the “University Capacity Development Program” will be implemented as successfully as the previous phases, and cooperation with American universities and scientific centers will bring tangible commercial results to the Georgian Technical University.
Within the framework of the third phase of the “University Capacity Development Program”, the workshops will continue for five days at the Georgian Technical University. The parties will discuss three scientific projects developed by the university researchers: “Bioinformatics Modeling Software for the Novel Coronavirus”, “Artificial Intelligence-Based Computer Analysis of the Visual Field” and “Smart Agriculture in Honey Bee Breeding”, which were selected by Professor Bhaskar Das, Head of the Department of Medicine and Biotherapeutic Discovery at the University at Buffalo. During the workshops, GTU researchers, with an American scientist, will work on preparing grant proposals.
After preparing a grant proposal, the Georgian Technical University will submit the above projects to the United States of America for funding in collaboration with American universities.
For information, the University Capacity Building Program (UCBP) is implemented by the “American Councils for International Education” with the support of the US Embassy in Georgia.
