Based on the Decree of the Government of Georgia N 751 of April 4th, 2019, and the Resolution of the Academic Council of the Georgian Technical University N 01-05-04/189 of December 7th, 2021, the Faculty of “Sustainable Mountain Development” was established. The faculty stems from the strategic goals of the state and the Mountain Development Program. The faculty ensures the training of young expert-professional personnel equipped with transdisciplinary knowledge of mountain science and sustainable development for high-mountainous regions.
Sustainable development is considered as a new concept of human development. The key to creating a sustainable and peaceful world is learning. It precisely depends on a change in thinking that changes towards sustainability. During transdisciplinary research, knowledge from different fields is integrated into a common vision, which allows for global knowledge to be obtained to respond to new problems. It is precisely the transdisciplinary approach that seeks to unite different knowledge and form new knowledge and thus contributes to the possibility of a global and integrated vision of reality. Such an approach will better prepare young people for life in the mountains, which they will discover, evaluate, and transform in the future.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an ambitious macro-level plan for human development and environmental sustainability. The goals address global challenges, including poverty and inequality, climate and environmental degradation, well-being, peace, and justice.
The faculty's targeted and thematic work contributes to the implementation of the following goals:
1. Sustainable Development of Mountain Rural Environments (Qualification-Bachelor of Environmental Science).
2. Sustainable Mountain Tourism and Hospitality Management (Qualification-Bachelor of Tourism).
3. Management of Organic Farming Systems in Mountain Regions (Qualification-Bachelor of Management).
4. Natural Hazards Sustainable Environment and Protection (Qualification-Bachelor of Engineering in Environmental Engineering).
The faculty bachelor educational programs, curricula, syllabi, and student knowledge assessment system are fully consistent with the requirements established by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, and the norms of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). The aforementioned bachelor programs are new and have no analogs in the educational space of Georgia or its neighboring countries.
The young faculty cooperates with European countries to fully comply with European standards and form similar master’s and doctoral educational programs, and uses the experience of successful universities, such as the University of Milan (Research Center - Mountain University UNIMONT) and the University of the Scottish Highlands and Islands.
The programs implemented at the Faculty of Sustainable Mountain Development will provide the opportunity to analyze the forms and systems of mountain education and assess their impact on mountains and mountain people; as well as to assess the factor changes in mountain regions, ways to achieve positive effects and their potential for supporting sustainability.
Innovative educational initiatives for the sustainable development of the mountainous regions of Georgia will contribute not only to increasing knowledge but also to changing thinking and practice towards environmental sustainability.
State-supported and prioritized bachelor educational programs will allow us to emphasize the importance of integrity and the need to create transdisciplinary knowledge; will provide people with the skills and competencies to participate in sustainable development processes; will make program participants and graduates more competent and self-confident, and will provide more opportunities to achieve healthy and productive lives through sustainable harmony with nature, taking into account the principles of social values, gender equality, and cultural diversity.
Currently, the Master’s program “Sustainable Environmental Development Management” is at the accreditation stage, while the English-language Master’s program “Sustainable Development of Mountainous Areas” and the Georgian-language professional retraining programs “Forest Protection in Rangers” and “Geographic Information Systems Specialist” are in the preparation stage.
The faculty’s student contingent is constantly growing. This is due, on the one hand, to the uniqueness of the programs (programs with such names do not operate either in the universities of our neighboring countries or in the countries of Middle or Central Asia) and, on the other hand, to the specificity of the programs themselves; the practical part is largely devoted to field trips, student conferences, competitions, and field seminars.
The Faculty of Sustainable Mountain Development actively cooperates with public and private schools within the framework of signed memoranda, invites students and youth to various competitions and conferences; has received funding from the Rustaveli National Science Foundation grant competition and in the mountainous of Tsalka municipality is implementing a project called: “Establishment of the Scientific Research Club “Young Scientists for Mountain Sustainable Development”.
It is noteworthy that the Young Faculty organizes scientific events in collaboration with other faculties;
In 2022, an international scientific-practical conference was held: “World Viticulture-Winery: History, Modernity, and Prospects for Sustainable Development”.
In 2023, with the LEPL Resort Development Agency, we organized an international scientific-practical conference: “Natural Resources and Resorts as Factors of Sustainable Development”.
It is worth noting the International Student Conference “Peace and Sustainable Mountain Tourism - Challenges and Opportunities”, which was dedicated to World Tourism Day and was held from September 26th to 28th, 2024, in a hybrid mode. Among the most important supporters of the conference were the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the National Tourism Administration, the Agency for Protected Areas, and the Resort Development Agency.
At the initiative of the faculty, an alliance of tourism program leaders was created in 2024, with goals to collaborate, activate the topic of mountain tourism, and implement joint scientific and academic activities.
The faculty is actively involved in internationalization processes; Since 2023, it has been cooperating with the research center of the University of Milan UNIMONT, with which an English-language master’s program is prepared within the framework of the CIF grant project;
Since 2024, the faculty has been a member of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization volunteer alliance “Mountain Partnership”, which provides new opportunities for educational programs. We intensively advise about the activities carried out, which are disseminated on their website and social channels.
Georgian Technical University and the faculty, as technical support, were involved in the UN World Tourism Organization study - Impact of climate change and the future of snow and mountain tourism destinations.
The faculty has an ambitious goal - to prepare an English-language master’s program in sustainable tourism, which will receive the TedQual certificate of the UN World Tourism Organization Tourism Academy.
The Georgian mountains, on the one hand, have many environmental challenges and require actions for their further sustainable development. On the other hand, they have significant biodiversity, resources, and natural potential that can be effectively used to deepen economic development and improve the quality of daily life and well-being of the mountain’s citizens. This is precisely what the faculty serves with its activities and responds to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Sustainable development is considered as a new concept of human development. The key to creating a sustainable and peaceful world is learning. It precisely depends on a change in thinking that changes towards sustainability. During transdisciplinary research, knowledge from different fields is integrated into a common vision, which allows for global knowledge to be obtained to respond to new problems. It is precisely the transdisciplinary approach that seeks to unite different knowledge and form new knowledge and thus contributes to the possibility of a global and integrated vision of reality. Such an approach will better prepare young people for life in the mountains, which they will discover, evaluate, and transform in the future.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an ambitious macro-level plan for human development and environmental sustainability. The goals address global challenges, including poverty and inequality, climate and environmental degradation, well-being, peace, and justice.
The faculty's targeted and thematic work contributes to the implementation of the following goals:
1. Sustainable Development of Mountain Rural Environments (Qualification-Bachelor of Environmental Science).
2. Sustainable Mountain Tourism and Hospitality Management (Qualification-Bachelor of Tourism).
3. Management of Organic Farming Systems in Mountain Regions (Qualification-Bachelor of Management).
4. Natural Hazards Sustainable Environment and Protection (Qualification-Bachelor of Engineering in Environmental Engineering).
The faculty bachelor educational programs, curricula, syllabi, and student knowledge assessment system are fully consistent with the requirements established by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, and the norms of the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). The aforementioned bachelor programs are new and have no analogs in the educational space of Georgia or its neighboring countries.
The young faculty cooperates with European countries to fully comply with European standards and form similar master’s and doctoral educational programs, and uses the experience of successful universities, such as the University of Milan (Research Center - Mountain University UNIMONT) and the University of the Scottish Highlands and Islands.
The programs implemented at the Faculty of Sustainable Mountain Development will provide the opportunity to analyze the forms and systems of mountain education and assess their impact on mountains and mountain people; as well as to assess the factor changes in mountain regions, ways to achieve positive effects and their potential for supporting sustainability.
Innovative educational initiatives for the sustainable development of the mountainous regions of Georgia will contribute not only to increasing knowledge but also to changing thinking and practice towards environmental sustainability.
State-supported and prioritized bachelor educational programs will allow us to emphasize the importance of integrity and the need to create transdisciplinary knowledge; will provide people with the skills and competencies to participate in sustainable development processes; will make program participants and graduates more competent and self-confident, and will provide more opportunities to achieve healthy and productive lives through sustainable harmony with nature, taking into account the principles of social values, gender equality, and cultural diversity.
Currently, the Master’s program “Sustainable Environmental Development Management” is at the accreditation stage, while the English-language Master’s program “Sustainable Development of Mountainous Areas” and the Georgian-language professional retraining programs “Forest Protection in Rangers” and “Geographic Information Systems Specialist” are in the preparation stage.
The faculty’s student contingent is constantly growing. This is due, on the one hand, to the uniqueness of the programs (programs with such names do not operate either in the universities of our neighboring countries or in the countries of Middle or Central Asia) and, on the other hand, to the specificity of the programs themselves; the practical part is largely devoted to field trips, student conferences, competitions, and field seminars.
The Faculty of Sustainable Mountain Development actively cooperates with public and private schools within the framework of signed memoranda, invites students and youth to various competitions and conferences; has received funding from the Rustaveli National Science Foundation grant competition and in the mountainous of Tsalka municipality is implementing a project called: “Establishment of the Scientific Research Club “Young Scientists for Mountain Sustainable Development”.
It is noteworthy that the Young Faculty organizes scientific events in collaboration with other faculties;
In 2022, an international scientific-practical conference was held: “World Viticulture-Winery: History, Modernity, and Prospects for Sustainable Development”.
In 2023, with the LEPL Resort Development Agency, we organized an international scientific-practical conference: “Natural Resources and Resorts as Factors of Sustainable Development”.
It is worth noting the International Student Conference “Peace and Sustainable Mountain Tourism - Challenges and Opportunities”, which was dedicated to World Tourism Day and was held from September 26th to 28th, 2024, in a hybrid mode. Among the most important supporters of the conference were the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the National Tourism Administration, the Agency for Protected Areas, and the Resort Development Agency.
At the initiative of the faculty, an alliance of tourism program leaders was created in 2024, with goals to collaborate, activate the topic of mountain tourism, and implement joint scientific and academic activities.
The faculty is actively involved in internationalization processes; Since 2023, it has been cooperating with the research center of the University of Milan UNIMONT, with which an English-language master’s program is prepared within the framework of the CIF grant project;
Since 2024, the faculty has been a member of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization volunteer alliance “Mountain Partnership”, which provides new opportunities for educational programs. We intensively advise about the activities carried out, which are disseminated on their website and social channels.
Georgian Technical University and the faculty, as technical support, were involved in the UN World Tourism Organization study - Impact of climate change and the future of snow and mountain tourism destinations.
The faculty has an ambitious goal - to prepare an English-language master’s program in sustainable tourism, which will receive the TedQual certificate of the UN World Tourism Organization Tourism Academy.
The Georgian mountains, on the one hand, have many environmental challenges and require actions for their further sustainable development. On the other hand, they have significant biodiversity, resources, and natural potential that can be effectively used to deepen economic development and improve the quality of daily life and well-being of the mountain’s citizens. This is precisely what the faculty serves with its activities and responds to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.