Georgia is the first non-EU member state, where a regional Academia Europaea hub will be opened next year. The decision to open the hub at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU) was unanimously made by the members of the Board of Academia Europaea (AE) at an annual meeting in Barcelona. George Sharvashidze, Rector of the Tbilisi State University, Sierd Cloetingh, President of Academia Europaea and President of the COST Association (European Cooperation in Science and Technology), and Éva Kondorosi, Vice President of European Research Council, made their first assessments about this important decision.
Georgia Sharvashidze, TSU Rector and member of Academia Europaea: “It is an unprecedented development - Academia Europaea made a decision to open its research representation in a non-EU member state. This decision will open up opportunities for a lot of young people to get involved in various European programs. I would like to emphasize the contribution of Georgian scientists of all generations that played a huge role in making this decision. Tamaz Gamkrelidze was the first member of Academic Europaea from Georgia. All subsequent members are doing their utmost to popularize Georgian science, to establish more contacts with European science. It is a huge step forwards and let me congratulate everyone – academic community, scientists on this success.”
Éva Kondorosi, member of the Council of Academia Europaea, Vice President of European Research Council: “I think, it is a great opportunity also for Academia Europaea to have many talented people from this part of Europe. I think, you have all the talents in many scientific fields, also young ones and established ones. Maybe, the conditions for research are not the same in all European countries, as we know, but you have everything to contribute and make European science richer than it is now. So, we really count on you and we hope that you will have many more members and we can work together and you will add your talent and capacity to the European science… We only have [hubs] in European countries. So, this will be the only one which is not a member of the EU. We have also a hub in UK, which will not be soon part of the EU, but we are maintaining this hub, because Academia Europaea is not an EU establishment, it is the European Academy. So, we have all the European countries.”
Sierd Cloetingh, We are very, very happy to have now a hub in Georgia, because Georgia is a very important country also in Eastern Partnership of the European Union. I have been personally before in Georgia at the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Tbilisi State University and I was very impressed by the international embedding of Georgia. Our Board has today unanimously decided to welcome this hub. Rector of Tbilisi State University has given a very impressive presentation of the plans. We look forward to the official opening of the hub in April, next year.
