An international conference “Innovating Learning and Teaching: the Next Phase of the Bologna Process” was held at the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU) on December 3-4. TSU Rector, Academician Vladimer Papava, Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Tamar Sanikidze, the representatives of the EU Delegation to Georgia, National Erasmus + Office (NEO) Georgia, Executive Agency for Education, Audiovisual and Culture (EACEA) of the European Commission and European University Association attended the event.   
“The European University Association is holding an annual conference, which discusses higher education reform that is very important for our country. Delegates have arrived from various countries. The Tbilisi State University participates in a number of European programs that is a priority for us and generally, it is a backbone for the development of Georgian universities,” TSU Rector, Academician Vladimer Papava said.
“Georgia has significantly improved its positions and indicators through participation in exchange programs. We take the second place by results; in terms of participation of our students and academic staff in exchange programs, we are ranked 7th among 74 countries. No similar results were observed in previous years and this fact can only be welcomed. The today’s conference will mainly focus on internationalization of higher education, introduction of new methods and innovations in higher education that is a priority for us. I think that this conference is extremely important and we should definitely get the results we want,” Georgian Education Minister, Tamar Sanikidze said.
The conference was organized by the Executive Agency for Education, Audiovisual and Culture (EACEA) of the European Commission and the European University Association, with the support of National Erasmus+ Office Georgia and Tbilisi State University. Over 120 delegates from 28 countries participated in the conference.
“Today the Tbilisi State University is hosting an international conference, co-organized by TSU, Erasmus + Program and European University Association. The fact that Tbilisi was selected as the venue for the conference can be explained by huge success of Georgian universities and especially the Tbilisi State University, which is the leader in implementing Tempus and Erasmus programs not only in Georgia, but throughout the post-Soviet space,” Lika Glonti, coordinator at National Erasmus+ Office (NEO) Georgia, said.
The aim of the conference was to discuss the innovative methods and approaches of learning and teaching in higher education, as well as to assess the possibilities of introducing these approaches at a level of higher educational systems and institutions. The participants discussed the relevance of structures and tools already existing at European and national levels with respect to using innovative learning and teaching methods.