GTU Professors on a Working Visit to Poland and the Czech Republic

Representatives of the Faculty of Mining Geology and Sustainable Mountain Development of the Georgian Technical University – Head of the Department of Applied Geology, Professor Nodar Poporadze, and Associate Professor Olga Seskuria – visited Poland and the Czech Republic on a working and study visit within the framework of the international project, “Geoheritage Inventory, Electronic Guide and Mobile Application for Sustainable Tourism (Armenia and Georgia).”

The project is funded by the International Visegrad Foundation (IVF). The general coordinator of the project is Yerevan State University (YSU), while the European partners are the Silesian University of Technology (SUT, Poland) and the Technical University of Ostrava (TUO, Czech Republic).  Together with the Georgian Technical University representatives the event was attended by representatives of Yerevan State University from Armenia – Associate Professors Gor Aleksanyan and Seyran Suvarian – as well as Professors Krzysztof Labus and Malgorzata Labus (Poland), and Professors Martin Klempa and Petr Skupien (Czech Republic).

According to Professor Nodar Poporadze, Head of the Department of Applied Geology at GTU, the project aims to inventory the geoheritage sites of Georgia and Armenia, create an electronic guide and a mobile application to promote them, and support the development of sustainable tourism by strengthening international academic cooperation.

“The working and study visit to Poland and the Czech Republic was an important opportunity to exchange experience and learn about the best practices of our European partners in the fields of geoheritage research, conservation, and sustainable tourism development. The knowledge and experience gained through the project will contribute to improving the inventory process of Georgia’s geoheritage sites, creating modern digital resources – an electronic guide and a mobile application – and further strengthening international academic cooperation. Participation in international projects is important not only for our university but also for the country, as such initiatives strengthen scientific collaboration, promote the introduction of innovative approaches, and enhance the international visibility of Georgia’s geological heritage.”

– Professor Nodar Poporadze

During the visit, the delegation became acquainted with successful tourism products and the scientific facilities of universities located in the border regions of Poland and the Czech Republic. As part of the program, field visits were organized to unique geotourism sites, including the “Queen Louise Coal Mine” in Zabrze, Poland – a former mine transformed into an innovative tourism destination – and “Landek Park” in Ostrava, Czech Republic, a successful museum and recreational center established on the site of a former mine. The partners also discussed the next stages of the project, including a visit to Georgia and Armenia planned for the end of July, during which 15 geological heritage sites in Georgia will be explored.

As part of the ongoing cooperation, plans were made for the exchange of mineral collections between museums; student and faculty exchange programs, and the modernization of all three levels of the Geology curriculum (Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral) in preparation for reaccreditation in 2027. The updated programs will include improved coursework and the introduction of new, modern academic modules.