Georgian Gov’t offers more support to technology students

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili has announced the Government will offer extra financial help to students to patent their technological inventions.

Garibashvili visited Georgian Technical University and congratulated students on the beginning of the 2014-2015 academic year today. In his address, he stressed the importance of developing new technologies and how it would benefit the nation.

"We are ready to provide additional funding for patenting the innovations and new projects created by you. I would also like to invite business representatives and companies representing this field to engage in this project,” he said.

"We are a unique nation, we have great potential and we are a small state. What should a small country do, if not implementing new technologies, creating new projects and introducing innovations? Our state pays great attention to such issues,” the PM said.

Garibashvili said he was happy to learn students were working on new inventions and believed Georgian Technical University had "great potential”.

The PM noted the development of technologies would trigger the country’s economic improvement.

"The Technical University has a very good resource to contribute to this cause. Georgian Technical University is an institute of strategic importance for the country and the Government is ready to promote the ongoing academic and scientific process here,” he said.

In addition, the head of the Government expressed his appreciation towards the assistance the United States’ government was providing in the field of education.

"Georgia has received 140 million GEL investments through the Millennium Challenge Corporation second compact and it will be spent on developing human resources. It is delightful that Technical University is one among three Georgian universities which will implement international and American undergraduate programs throughout the future 20 years and students will be able to receive international diplomas in natural sciences and technological specialties,” the PM noted.

The Government-founded International Education Centre was also mentioned by Garibashvili. He said the recently opened centre would provide students with the best international education.

"The centre sends selected students to the world’s top universities. It may be particularly interesting and important for you that the centre prioritises funding for students who study engineering, technology and exact sciences. I encourage you to get involved in this project,” he said to the students.

The PM also noted that Georgia needed its young, educated citizens to return from abroad and use their knowledge to benefit their homeland.

"We are doing everything to give our youth the maximum opportunity to get high quality education and use their knowledge for their country when they return. Recently we have created an agency of innovations and technology, which will work on commercialising different inventions and innovations,” the PM said.

Garibashvili also noted that this year, a new program for financing graduate study and research project had started, which would increase the quality of higher education.

"Starting from the current academic year, doctoral students will have the opportunity to get funding for three years with 21,000 GEL per year,” he said.

In addition, the Prime Minister noted additional funds will be provided to the Technical University for its renovation.

"Another pleasant novelty is that agriculture direction was added to the list of free specialties. The state fully finances studying at this faculty because development of the agricultural sector is one of our top priorities,” he said.