THE SIXTH GEORGIAN-GERMAN SCHOOL AND WORKSHOP IN FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCES

On July 7-12, 2014 Tbilisi State University hosted the sixth Georgian-German school and workshop in fundamental sciences , “The Georgian-German scientific bridge is 10 years old” , organized by TSU Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences, Georgian Technical University, Ilia State University, and Forschungszentrum Jülich (Jülich Research Center). Topics included elementary particle physics, condensed matter physics, atmospheric sciences, medical physics, engineering sciences and computer sciences.
Along with Georgian scientists, directors and leading scientists of the Forschungszentrum Jülich universities took part in the school-seminar and professors from the universities of Bonn, Munster, Cologne, Aachen, and Dusseldorf participated. Several agreements on developing joint Georgian-German MA programs were signed at the conference according to which Georgian students will be included in the scholarship programs at Forschungszentrum Jülich, climate centre, and the Institute of Neutron.
The first conference in 2004 was dedicated to hadron physics, organized by TSU and the High Energy Physics Institute, the Institute of Nuclear Physics of Forschungszentrum Jülich and the International School of Mathematics and Physics of UNESCO. The conference was very successful and has became a tradition, held every two years, except for 2008 when it was interrupted by war.
In 2010, Georgian Technical University joined the conference. Simultaneously, the participants thought of an idea of establishing Georgian-German scientific bridge (Georgian-German Science bridge connecting people and knowledge). The conference topics of 2014 extended more and covered important elements of fundamental and applied research. Ilia State University is also taking part in this year’s conference.
The Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia makes significant contributions to support the conference. With this support there has been noticeable progress in Georgian students’ participation in research projects with Forschungszentrum Jülich. In the framework of international collaborations, Georgian students undertake their MA and PhD studies in the institutes of Forschungszentrum Jülich. The TSU faculty plans joint PhD programs with German universities, which will allow Georgian students the opportunity to obtain a double diploma.


THE 10TH INTERNATIONAL MASS SPECTROMETRY CONFERENCE „PETROMASS – 2014“

On September 1-4, 2014, the first building of Tbilisi State University held the 10th international mass spectrometry conference PETROMASS – 2014 on oil chemistry and environmental issues organized by TSU, the Russian Society for Mass Spectrometry, the Petre Melikishvili Institute of Physics and Organic Chemistry, and the Georgian Association of Petro-chemists.  The conference was financed by MS Analytica (USA), official distributor of Thermo Fisher Scientific analytical instruments for chromatography and mass spectrometry . During the conference, MS Analytica also organized online trainings on its own training base.
The chairmen of the conference were: Albert Lebedev, President of the Russian Society for Mass Spectrometry and Vladimer Tsitsishvili, Director of the Petre Melikishvili Institute of Physics and Organic Chemistry. Along with scholars of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences, prominent scientists from the USA, Russia, Brazil, England, Germany, Italy, Israel, Sweden and Georgia participated. Three plenary meetings were held, on the basic principles of oil chemistry, oil mass spectrometry, and environmental mass spectrometry.
The Petromass conferences have celebrated almost 100 years of mass spectrometry. Today this unique physical-chemical method is considered a powerful instrument for fundamental research. The influence of mass spectrometry is evident in many fields, from atmospheric chemistry to oil chemistry. The first mass-spectra of simple hydrocarbons were developed in the beginning of the 1930s and since then there have been further developments largely thanks to the increasing interest in ecological chemistry, oil chemistry and biological sciences. Besides the significance of mass spectrometry in other fields of chemistry, the achievements of this discipline are particularly noteworthy in the qualitative and quantitative analysis of all types of molecules, including simple organic compounds and the most complex biological macro-molecules. Due to unique technology developed in the 1980s, mass spectrometry permitted the emergence of new directions in molecular biology such as genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, glicomics, etc.

THE 8TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE CHEMISTRY OF HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS

The 8th Eurasian conference on the chemistry of heterocyclic compounds (EAMHC 2014) was held on September 20-14 in Tbilisi organized by the Agricultural University of Georgia and the Association of Professional Chemists of Georgia. The chairman of the organizing committee was Shota Samsonia, Academician and Professor at TSU.  In addition to researchers from Georgia, participating scholars attended from New Zealand, Azerbaijan, Algeria, Belgium, Belorus, Germany, Egypt, Spain, Iraq, Turkey, Italy, Iran, Japan, England, India, Cyprus, Colombia, Lithuania, Latvia, Portugal, Poland, Pakistan, Russia, Slovenia, Greece, Armenia, France, Serbia, Taiwan, Sweden and the Czech Republic.  The conference is hosted every two years by one of the Eurasian states. Before Istanbul in 2012, the previous conferences took place in Suzdal (Russia 2000), Novgorod (Russia 2002), Novosibirsk (Russia 2004), Thessaloniki (Greece 2006), Kuwait City (Kuwait 2008) and Alicante (Spain 2010).

THE 3RD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ORGANIC CHEMISTRY „ORGANIC SYNTHESIS DRIVING FORCE OF LIFE DEVELOPMENT“

On September 24-28, 2014, Tbilisi Sate University organized the third international conference of organic chemistry (ICOC 2014), “Organic Synthesis - Driving Force of Life Development”.  A parallel session to the 8th International Conference on the Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds was held on September 26 heaed by the Co-chairman of the organizing committee, Dr. Shota Samsonia, Academician and supported by a grant from the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation. Scholars participated from Austria, Azerbaijan, USA, Bulgaria, Belarus, Germany, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, Japan, Israel, India, Iran, Lithuania, Latvia, Nigeria, Poland, Russia, Greece, France, South Africa, Armenia, Ukraine, Kazakstan, Sweden, and Georgia.


CONFERENCE
„NATIONAL
LITERATURE AND CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS“

The Institute of Ukrainian Studies of the Faculty of Humanities at the Tbilisi State University organized a conference “National Literature and Cross-Cultural Communications” on March 20, 2014. The conference was dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Taras Shevchenko’s birth.
Among the keynote speakers were professors and researchers from Turkey, Georgia and Ukraine.  They included Prof. Otar Bakanidze; Prof. Mariam Miresashvili; Petro Koronenko, Academician at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Director of the Institute of Ukrainian Studies, Herder prize winner and Honorary Doctor of the Tbilisi State University; Oksana Slipushko, Professor at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kiev; Head of the educational laboratory of T. Shevchenko studies; Prof. Lyudmila Gritsik, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kiev; Chairperson of the Department of Literary Theory and Comparative Studies, Ukrainian Kartvelologist, TSU Honorary Doctor and others.


INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE ON
HUMANE PEDAGOGY



The 13th International Conference on Humane Pedagogy was held at Tbilisi State University on March 21-23 with the support of President Giorgi Margvelashvili and the Ministry of Education and Science. Similar conferences have been held worldwide annually since 2002.  This is the first year this conference was held in Georgia and about 500 representatives from 17 countries participated.
6th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF STUDENT ARCHAEOLOGISTS IN VARDZIA

The Faculty of Humanities of the Tbilisi State University and the Educational Scientific Institute of Archaeology organized the 6th International Conference of Student Archaeologists dedicated to Julian Pitt-Rivers in Vardzia on April 11-14. Among the keynote speakers there were: Professor Vakhtang Licheli (Tbilisi, conference founder and organizer); Professor Michael Vickers (Oxford University, permanent chairman of the conference); Professor Eberhard Sauer (Edinburgh, head of joint Georgian-Scottish expedition); Professor Walter Kuntner of Innsbruck University (head of joint Georgian-Austrian expedition). Participants from the universities of Oxford, Innsbruck, Edinburgh, Warsaw, Łódź, Torun, Ankara, Tehran, Durham, Leiden, Melbourne and Jena, as well as from Tbilisi State University, and the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences participated in the conference.




INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE:
„GENDER AND SCANDINAVIAN STUDIES: LANGUAGE, LITERATURE, SOCIAL
RELATIONS“

The Center for Scandinavian Studies of the TSU Faculty of Humanities organized an international conference “Gender and Scandinavian Studies: Language, Literature, Social Relations” on April 30-May 2, a joint project of the University of Oslo and the TSU Faculty of Humanities. Among the keynote speakers were: Jostein Bortnes (Professor Emeritus at the University of Bergen); Erika Svedberg (Malmö University); Elisabet Rogg (University of Oslo); Tone Irene Brekke (University of Oslo); Frode Hermundsgård (University of Oslo); Ugnius Mikučionis (lecturer at Kaunas University); Professor Ståle Dingstad (Oslo); Even Arntzen (Associate Professor at the University of Tromsø); Professor Kakhaber Loria (TSU); Professor Torill Steinfeld (Oslo) and others.   Researchers in gender issues and Scandinavian studies from Norway, Sweden, Lithuania and Georgia participated in the conference. The project was financed by the Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education (SIU).


INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
„SHAKESPEARE 450“
 
The conference “Shakespeare 450” was held at the Tbilisi State University and the Rustaveli Theatre on May 1-3, 2014 organized by the Center for Shakespeare Studies of the TSU Faculty of Humanities. Among keynote speakers of the conference were: Maia Kiasashvili, Manana Gelashvili, John P. Burke, Rosemary Wales, Tinatin Margalitadze, Innes Merabishvili, Irakli Tskhvediani, Konstantine Bregadze, Davit Maziashvili and Martin Nichols.



The conference was dedicated to Shakespeare’s heritage in the international context. The participants presented subjects about Shakespeare’s influence on literature, painting and music. Books, stage designs and theatrical costumes were exhibited in the framework of the conference. The history of Shakespeare’s plays staged in Georgia and of Shakespeare’s studies were presented.   During the closing ceremony  the students Tamar Kakhniashvili and Sopho Totibadze, winners of the competition “Shakespeare in Georgia”-- organized by the Center for Shakespeare Studies and the British Council--presented their research papers.


 
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
„U.S. FOREIGN POLICY IN EASTERN
EUROPE“



An international conference “U.S. Foreign Policy in Eastern Europe” was held at Tbilisi State University on May 15-17 organized by the Institute of American Studies of the TSU Faculty of Humanities. Speakers included Bridget Brink, U.S. Embassy to Georgia; Fusco Gianna, the University of Naples; Shota Vashakidze, Rutgers University; Manana Anasashvili, University of Michigan, as well as Temur Kobakhidze, Elene Medzmariashvili, Rusudan Daushvili, Ia Iashvili, Irakli Brachuli, Mamuka Dolidze, Anastasia Zakariadze, Vasil Kacharava, Ketevan Rostiashvili, Valerian Ramishvili, Ketevan Gochitashvili, Merab Kalandadze, Rusudan Nishnianidze, Elene Gabunia, Leila Khubashvili, Demur Jalagonia, Davit Chichua, Tinatin Chigogidze, Zurab Kiknadze, Nanuli Tevzadze, Avtandil Digmelashvili, Medea Melkadze, etc.
The reports delivered at the conference covered issues of U.S, Latin American and Canadian history, politics, economy, law, science, culture, education, religion, Georgian-American relations, and Georgian immigration to the United States. The conference aimed to present the learning outcomes of American Studies and to share this knowledge among academic and broader circles of Georgian society.  It also aimed to coordinate the activities of Georgian specialists in American studies and deepen their contacts with foreign colleagues.


CONFERENCE „FROM INFORMAL TO
INSURGENT GOVERNANCE: MODES AND TRANSFORMATION OF SOCIAL CAPITAL IN THE CAUCASUS (AND BEYOND)“

The international conference “From Informal to Insurgent Governance: Modes and Transformation of Social Capital in the Caucasus (and beyond)” was held on June 7-9 organized by the Institute of Ethnology of the Faculty of Humanities, Tbilisi State University (TSU). Forty-five participants attended from TSU, University of Tallinn (Estonia), University of Birmingham (Great Britain), University of Fribourg (Switzerland), University of Latvia (Latvia), Guangdong University (China), Higher School of Economics of the National Research University (Russia), Renmin University of China, Free University of Amsterdam (Netherlands), etc.
The conference was supported by the FP7 Marie Curie grant project “Imagining Development: A multidisciplinary and multilevel analysis of development policies and their effect in the post-socialist world”. The EU-funded research projects aim at promoting the approximation of non-member states with the European Union, the formation of common scientific space and the active involvement of leading regional universities. Special attention was paid to encourage interdisciplinary research. Participation in the project involved conducting joint research studies, sharing research results, participation in international forums and supporting young researchers. The conference was interdisciplinary with a diverse institutional spectrum of participants.


INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
„EUROPEAN VALUES AND IDENTITY“

An international conference European Values and Identity was held at the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University on June 16-18, organized by the Tbilisi State University, the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (Francophone University Agency), the EU, Association Georgia Proeuropa and the Georgian Community in France.



Among the speakers there were the organizers of the event: TSU Professor Nana Guntsadze; President of the Georgian Community in France, Otar Zurabishvili; as well as famous foreign and Georgian scientists and political figures, including: Zaal Andronikashvili, Center for Literary and Cultural Research (Berlin, Germany); Professor Zurab Guruli, Mississippi University (USA); Gaston Buachidze, translator, Professor Emeritus, University of   Nantes (Nantes, France); Cécile Vaissié (France); Eka Tkeshelashvili, Georgian Institute for Strategic Studies; Professor Bruno Naarden  (France); and Professor Gerard Dessons, Sorbonne University (France).


INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE “BYRON, ORIGINAL AND TRANSLATED”



The 40th international conference ‘Byron, Original and Translated’ was held at Tbilisi State University (TSU) on June 23 organized by the International Byron Society and the Georgian Byron Society. Among the key speakers were Professor Bernard Beatty (Great Britain); Professor John Clubbe (USA); Professor Naji Oueijan (Lebanon); Professor Innes Merabishvili (Georgia); Shobhana Bhattacharji (India) and others.   Along with TSU students and academic staff, 100 delegates from 20 countries also participated in the conference. The delegates included some of Byron’s direct descendants


.
Despite our special interest towards the phenomenon of Byron, the poet’s attitude toward Georgia remains unknown. The Georgian Byron Society’s involvement in international research helped to reveal Byron’s attitude toward Georgia, as it enabled Georgian scientists to make an important discovery—a previously unknown episode of Byron’s life was revealed when he met a Georgian slave, a woman.  This perhaps became the basis for one of his famous characters. It is reflected in the book “Encounter with Lord Byron” by Innes Merabishvili published with support from the Ministry of Culture. A presentation of the book “Innes Merabishvili, Meeting with Lord Byron” by the author of the book was held in the framework of the conference.


INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
„THE JEWS OF GEORGIA,
THE CAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA“

An international conference “The Jews of Georgia, the Caucasus and Central Asia” was held at the Tbilisi State University September 8-10 organized by Bar-Ilan University (Israel), Dahan Center (Israel), Embassy of Israel to Georgia, Ministry of Religion of Israel, Ashkelon Academic College (Israel) and the Institute of Oriental Studies of TSU. Key speakers speakers included Professors Mariam Chachibaia (TSU); Guram Lortkipanidze (TSU); Shlomo Ianetz (Bar-Ilan University); Hananel Mack (Bar-Ilan University); Reuven Enoch (Ariel University) and others.



The conference was dedicated to the anniversary of 26 centuries of Jewish-Georgian friendship. Members of Jewish communities from Armenia, Bukhara, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan submitted research papers. Topics included religious life; traditional and modern education; Hebrew language and literature; legal and political status of the Jews; the community and its institutions; relations with the surrounding society; economics; art, music and culture; social aspects; relations with the Jewish world; Zionist activity and repatriation of the Jews to the land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael); absorption in the State of Israel, etc.


SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE „A MEETING PLACE FOR NATIONS AND LITERATURES“

The scientific conference “A Meeting Place for Nations and Literatures” was held at Tbilisi State University on September 18-19 organized by the TSU Faculty of Humanities and it was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Professor Givi Gachechiladze, translator, poet and theoretician of literary translation. Georgian and foreign scientists addressed the conference on socio-cultural, ethno-linguistic and psycho-linguistic aspects of translation; intercultural communication and dialogue of cultures; the problem of equivalence in translation and bilingual lexicography; literary translation in modern world and prospects of its development; tradition and theory of translation, etc. During the event a photo exhibition was organized at the TSU Museum, where photos depicted Givi Gachechiladze’s life, his documents, manuscripts, translations, memorabilia.  An anniversary event was held at the TSU Conference Hall, where the film “Shelter – Poetic Translation” was shown, dedicated to Givi Gachechiladze’s 100th anniversary.


INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
TOPICAL ISSUES OF ANTIQUE
CULTURE AND ITS HERITAGE

A joint scientific conference of the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena and Tbilisi State University on Topical Issues of Antique Culture and Its Heritage was held at Tbilisi State University on September 23-26 through the cooperation of the Institute of Classical, Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies and the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena. In 2014 specialists in ancient studies from the two universities restored an excellent tradition of multi-year cooperation  to hold joint international conferences. This tradition started in 1966 after the two universities signed a historical agreement on mutual cooperation. These conferences gained popularity in scientific circles and turned into one of the most important scientific forums in the field of ancient studies. Nine conferences have been held in Jena and Tbilisi since 1969. After a 20-year pause, the 10th conference was held in Tbilisi this year.  Over 100 researchers from Georgia, Germany, Greece, France, USA, Great Britain, Italy, Poland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Iran and Russia delivered their reports during the three-day conference.



The following famous scientists participated in the conference: Timo Stickler (Jena); Alexander Markus Schilling (Jena); Adolf Martin Ritter (Heidelberg); Tassilo Schmitt (Bremen); Christoph Auffarth (Bremen); Hans Christian Günther (Freiburg); Lorenzo Perrone (Bologna); Jean  François Cottier (Paris); Krastu Banev  (Durham); Mary Childs (Washington); Nuccio Ordine (Calabria); Mikhail Bibikov (Moscow); Fatima Eloyeva (St. Petersburg). A presentation of hundreds of books sent by German professors to the Institute of Classical, Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies was held at the Institute’s special library on September 23



Participants of the conference also held a field session to visit the monuments of antique and post-antique epoch, including Grakliani Hill, Samtavisi, Dzalisi, Mtskheta. A guide “The Culture of Grakliani” was specially printed for this day in Georgian and English languages. Professor Vakhtang Licheli and Dr. Annegret Plontke Lüning led the session.  By unanimous decision of the eight-member delegation from the University of Jena, the next conference will be held in Jena in 2017. Thus, the tradition of holding one of the most important Eastern European scientific forums in the field of ancient studies will continue.


INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
„NATIONAL LITERATURES AND
THE PROCESS OF CULTURAL
GLOBALIZATION“

The 8th International Symposium “National Literatures and the Process of Cultural Globalization” was held at Tbilisi State University on September 24-27, 2014 organized by TSU and the Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature.  Keynote speakers attended from the USA, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Macedonia, Romania, Turkey, Iran, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Belgium, Russian Federation, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and other countries.
The following topics were discussed during the symposium: Globalization and the Problem of Cultural Integration; National Literary Canons and the Mechanisms of Cultural Globalization; Weltliteratur and the Issue of National Literatures; Literature without Borders?– Pro et Contra.  A roundtable discussion on a topic “Communicative Function of Translation in the Process of Cultural Globalization”, as well as a dialogue on “Literary Censorship – A Black Hole in the Global Space”. The event was hosted by Azerbaijani Comparative Literature Association. In the framework of the symposium David Damrosch, Ernest Bernbaum Professor of Literature, from the Department of Comparative Literature, Harvard University and Founder and Director of the Institute for World Literature, delivered a public lecture on the problems of translation of world literature into the national languages.
Since the first symposium, the geographical areas of this scientific forum have significantly expanded, and 139 scientists from 19 countries participated, including USA, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria,  Poland, Germany, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Macedonia, Slovenia, Iran, Turkey, Qatar, Kazakhstan.  Representatives of different Georgian universities and research centers attended from Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi and Telavი.



INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL FORUM, TBILISI BALKONI



The Department of Economic Policy and its affiliate, the Georgian-German Institute for Economic Policy and Economic Education, in the TSU Faculty of Economics and Business, organized the third international forum called Tbilisi Balkoni on May 27-28, 2014.  The forum addressed start-up entrepreneurship and its development.
The guests and main participants in the forum were:
- Günter Faltin, Professor at Free University, Berlin founder of the famous «Teekampagne”;
- Norbert Kunz, Laureate of German national and European awards, founder and head of social entrepreneurship agency Iq Consult;
- Dr. Wolfgang Weng, Professor of the German Technical University, Co-director of the Georgian-German Institute for Economic Policy and Economic Education,;
- Monica Prshibish,  Chief of the Southern Caucasus Bureau of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
Tbilisi State University Publishing organized a presentation of the Georgian edition of «Mind Defeats Capital» by Günter Faltin on May 27. The head of the DAAD Information Centre Tbilisi, Elizabeth Phenor attended the event.


INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH AND PRACTICE CONFERENCE «MODERN BUSINESS: NEWS, PROBLEMS»

The International Research and Practice Conference «Modern business: news, problems» held on October 3-5 was dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the TSU Department of Accounting and Auditing. To mark the anniversary, the Department of Accounting and Auditing received several gifts and awards, including the Mikheil Lomonosov Medal.
Professor Elene Kharabadze, Head of the Department of Accounting and Auditing, chaired the organizing committee of the conference attended by numerous international and local scholars. Guests from other universities in the world also attended. Welcoming speeches were given by Professor Elene Kharabadze - Chairman of the organizing committee; Academician Vladimer Papava – Rector of Tbilisi State University; Professor Teimuraz Beridze – Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business; Davit Narmania – Professor at Tbilisi State University and Mayor of Tbilisi); Giorgi Tabuashvili - Professor at Tbilisi State University; and Vladimer Chaia - Professor at Lomonosov Moscow State University.
In addition to scientific presentations, three sessions were organized within the conference:


Session I: International standards of financial reporting – challenges and problems; problems and perspectives of accounting in the state sector (moderated by Nadejda Kvatashidze – PhD, Associate Professor);
Session II: Economic analysis and management decisions (moderated by Merab Jikia – PhD in Economics, Associate Professor);
Session III: Taxation, issues of business taxation, problems of modern auditing (moderated by Mikheil Chikviladze – PhD in Economics, Associate Professor).


SEMINARS: CAPACITY BUILDING FOR CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND
THE MEDIATION AND MANAGEMENT
OF CRISIS

On October 6 -10, the TSU Faculty of Economics and Business (Faculty Dean – Teimuraz Beridze) hosted one-week international seminars, Capacity building for conflict resolutions and the mediation and management of crisis organized by the Department of Economic Policy and its affiliate, Georgian-German Institute for Economic Policy and Economic Education (Director – Professor Revaz Gvelesiani) and the University of Potsdam.
Seminars at the Institute of Tourism Development (Director – Professor Maya Margvelashvili) were held under the auspices of DAAD within the framework of the program, “Conflict prevention in the South Caucasus, Central Asia and Moldova regions”.
German Professor, Angela Miklei, oversaw the creation of an interdisciplinary team of international experts in conflictology. The thirty members of the team include Georgian, Armenian, Moldavian and Italian experts from different specialities and social spheres. The team also comprised private business, state sectors, and university representatives.
Participants addressed issues such as conflict analysis and management, as well as practical and theoretical approaches to mediation and negotiation. They studied various conflict situations, analysed authentic conflict cases from their private and work lives and worked out alternative ways to solve conflicts. With the knowledge and skills acquired, participants will be able to work as contact persons and initiators in processes of crisis prevention, peace-building and conflict resolution.  Such seminars help to form international networks where participants’ regular sharing of communication and information contributes significantly to their competencies in conflict management.
A similar seminar was organized in Tbilisi in 2011, and given the significance and effectiveness of the project it will also be held in the future.


INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE “GLOBALIZATION AND STATISTICS”

On October 23-24, 2014 Tbilisi State University held an international research conference «Globalization and Statistics» dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Department of Statistics at TSU, hosted by the Faculty of Economics and Business.  The following foreign scholars participated in the conference: Professor Stefan Mittnik (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München); Professor Henning Klodt (Kiel Institute for the World Economy); Professor Lyon Shweres (EU Danube Region Strategy, Hungary); Professor Oleg Karasev (Lomonosov Moscow State University); Professor Oksana Kuchmaeva (National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow); Professor Sheulov Denis (Riga State Technical University); Professor Grajina Karmovska (West Pomeranian University of Technology); Professor Natik Gurbanov (Azerbaijan State University of Economics); Professor Khankish Khankishiev (Azerbaijan State University of Economics); Allan Henryson (Statistics Services of Sweden).
Presentations at the conference included: «The evolution of statistics in Georgia» (Samson Gelashvili, TSU); «On modern statistics in modern Georgia» (Executive Directors of Sakstat – Mary Daushvili); «Aggregation of financial risks» (Head of the Department of Statistics at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Stefan Mittnik); «Teaching statistics, teaching challenges and applied strategies at the Department of Economic and Social Statistics at TSU» (Ketevan Marshava, TSU). There were six thematic sessions held at the Faculty of Economics and Business, including the theory of statics and methodology; econometrics; macro and microeconomics; labour market and demographics, modern global and regional economics; management; finances; accounting and banking.


SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE „SPACE, SOCIETY, POLITICS“

The 2nd International scientific conference on “Space, Society, Politics” was held at TSU on June 25, organized by the TSU Faculty of Social and Political Sciences. The topic of the 2014 conference was “The Sea in an Interdisciplinary Context”, and aimed at promoting the role of the world’s ocean and coastline spaces against a background of the global integration of states, peoples and cultures.  The conference was dedicated to the 90th anniversary of foundation of the Department of Economic Geography by Professor Giorgi Gekhtman.
Sessions included:
• Globalization and Regional Research;
• Economics; Port Systems, Transport and Regional Development;
• Human Geography, International Relations and Political Sciences;
• Sociology, Semiotics, Psychology and Journalism and Mass Communications.
2nd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE “MEDIA RULE 2014 –
GEORGIAN-EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES”

The 2nd international conference “Media Rule 2014 – Georgian-European Perspectives” was held on October 8-9, 2014 jointly organized by Deutsche Welle Akademie and Tbilisi State University with the participation of Georgian and German professors, students, experts and journalists.
The conference focused the transfer of knowledge and experience in the field of media law as well as on developing a joint vision and strategy for the development of the media landscape in the South Caucasus. The participants discussed a broad range of issues, including the function of media in free and democratic societies; the protection of journalists under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights; challenges facing the law departments of media organizations; and advertising and sponsorship in private broadcasting, among other subjects.
The well-known German professor, Dr. Karl-Eberhard Hain, Director of the Institute for Media and Communications Law at the University of Cologne was involved in the event. He is known for proving in Germany that the agreement between the German public television ZDF and the government was unconstitutional, while politicians tried to maintain the opportunity to influence the activities of this channel. Through the efforts of Professor Hain, and after a five-year struggle, this agreement was revised.
Dr. Peter Niepalla, Head of Deutsche Welle Law Department, and representatives from the Institute for Media and Communications Law, University of Cologne, also participated in the conference, and led discussions on pressing issues related to Georgian media.

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC SYMPOSIUM “TRANSPLANTATION OF THE LIVER AND PANCREAS/ISLETS OF LANGERHANS – ORGANIZATIONAL, LEGAL, CLINICAL AND SCIENTIFIC ASPECTS”

On October 16, 2014 Tbilisi State University hosted an international scientific symposium “Transplantation of the liver and pancreas/islets of Langerhans – organizational, legal, clinical and scientific aspects” was organized with support from the ShotaRustaveli National Science Foundation.  The main aim of the symposium was to provide up-to date information on the transplantation of the liver and pancreas/islets of Langerhans and establish a framework for the implementation of these operations. Participants included specialists from Germany, Switzerland, the USA and Turkey. German scientists represented the Clinic of the Technische Universität München, which has a collaborative agreement with TSU.
The transplantation of liver and pancreas/islets of Langerhans (including the transplantation of half of the liver from a living donor) is practically a routine operation in the western countries. The simplicity of this operation is the result of undertaking operations with modern high-tech devices and equipment, establishing high standards for the selection of donors, and achievements in immunology. In consequence, the number of the patients with liver and pancreas transplants and the frequency of successful operations has increased by 75-80%.  At present, the transplantation of the liver and pancreas/islets of Langerhans is only in the experimental stages, but fortunately, the new generation of Georgian surgeons are showing an increased interest in the practical implementation of such operations.
The affiliated team of Georgian and foreign surgeons of the TSU Faculty of Medicine aims to carry out a transplantation of the liver and pancreas/islets of Langerhans in the near future. In this light, the professional discussions on the problems of the operation were very topical and of great importance.

DEVELOPMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES IN LOCAL
SELF-GOVERNMENT

A regional conference on Human Resource Development in Local Self-Government was held at the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University on November 3-4, 2014, organized by the TSU Institute of Administrative Sciences with  support from the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ). German experts, Armenian and Azerbaijani guests, representatives of academic circles from TSU and other Georgian universities, as well as members of several regional self-governments attended the conference.

LEGISLATIVE AMENDMENTS AND  TRENDS TOWARDS MODERN DEVELOPMENT OF GEORGIAN
CRIMINAL LAW

An international conference, “Legislative Amendments and Trends Towards Modern Developments of Georgian Criminal Law (Criminal and Criminological Aspects)” was held at Tbilisi State University July 18-19, 2014, organized by the Institute of Comparative and Transnational Criminal Law and the Institute of Criminology. It was supported by the EU-funded project “Support to the Reform of the Criminal Justice System in Georgia”.