New laboratory turns dreams into reality for Tbilisi entrepreneurs

Innovators, creative thinkers and entrepreneurs have been given a major helping hand to turn their ideas into reality with the opening of a new modern laboratory today.

A new fabrication laboratory, also known as a Fab Lab, was fitted with modern tools and equipment that will serve technical students and small-scale producers. The Tbilisi City Hall project was unveiled in Georgia’s capital city Tbilisi today.

Tbilisi Mayor David Narmania said the new facility would support innovators and start-up entrepreneurs to manufacture their products for prospective sale. The Fab Lab would also allow students with technical majors the chance to learn practical skills in a modern environment, he said as he opened the laboratory at the Georgian Technical University.

Those behind the project said users would be able to access the Fab Lab for free. The space would be fitted out with the "latest technologies” to allow creative thinkers to turn their paper ideas into manufactured items.

Government representatives said they hoped the Fab Lab would promote Tbilisi as a leading regional city for technological development.

A second Fab Lab was scheduled to open at Tbilisi State University before the end of the year.

The Fab Lab idea was a project of the Tbilisi City Hall’s Technology Development Fund. The Fund was also behind a number of other creative initiatives including the opening of a digital library at several locations within the Tbilisi Metro service in October.