Erasmus+ Grant Project LISS24 Consortium Invited the GTU Rector as a Higher Education Expert

Academician David Gurgenidze, the rector of Georgian Technical University, was invited to the Erasmus+ Grant Project LISS24 Consortium as a higher education expert.

Georgian Technical University team members participating in the LISS24 project (Learn – Innovate – Sell – Succeed) as the national coordinators of the project, participated in the project consortium meeting in Valencia (Spain).

As the head of the GTU Technology and Grant Projects Office notes, the meeting discussed the implemented and ongoing project activities and outlined plans. According to Giorgi Mikiashvili, within the framework of the events, a training course and workshop for trainers “Innovative Competence – How to Develop Entrepreneurial and Innovative Skills” was held at the Valencia Polytechnic University. 

“The purpose of the visit was to retrain trainers to teach “Innovative competencies” as considered in the project action plan. Under the LISS24 project, special training will be implemented in partner universities to develop entrepreneurial and innovative skills for students and academic staff.

The Training course was jointly developed by the Faculty of Business of the Valencia Polytechnic University, the IDEAS UVP, and the same university Entrepreneurship Training Center. The course, which is based on the experience of the Polytechnic University of Valencia and combines theoretical and practical examples, real cases, and so-called problem-based learning methods.

In addition, within the framework of the visit, an information tour was held at the Valencia Polytechnic University to familiarize themselves with innovative teaching and learning methods and approaches. The information and results obtained were shared with the training participants by the program leaders and students.

The institutional coordination of the project at the Georgian Technical University is carried out by the Technology and Grant Projects Office, and the initial piloting of the project results will be carried out at the Faculty of Transport Systems and Mechanical Engineering, where the main events planned under the auspices of the project will also be implemented, which will provide our students and professors with additional opportunities for professional growth.

It is noteworthy that the Rector of the Georgian Technical University, Academician David Gurgenidze, has been invited to the project by the LISS24 consortium as a higher education expert, which further increases the opportunities for institutionalization and sustainable development of the project results at the university,” – states Giorgi Mikiashvili.

LISS24 (Learn – Innovate – Sell – Succeed) is an institutional development project funded by the European Union Erasmus+ KA2 activity and aims to enhance innovative competencies in engineering education.

In particular, for engineering and other program students, to introduce a culture of teaching the so-called “Sales” of products, by strengthening B2B sales competence. Within the framework of LISS24, planned:

• retraining of relevant academic staff through training and other teaching methods;

• development of services and processes; introduction of training courses and organization of an education-oriented sales laboratory (Sales Lab), which will be launched within the framework of the project;

• it is planned to include real sales experience based on digital technologies in teaching, both face-to-face and through online sales.

Within the framework of the project, the so-called “Student Competition of Sales” will be held for the first time in Georgia, hosted by the Georgian Technical University. Ultimately, the project envisages the introduction of best European practices for developing entrepreneurial and innovative competencies in educational institutions, including the Georgian Technical University, and relevant infrastructure.

For your information, the LISS24 project, which is funded under the KA102 activity of the European Union Erasmus+ program, will be completed in 2026. The project coordinator is Turku University of Applied Sciences (Finland).

The project consortium members are universities, and governmental and non-governmental organizations from Finland, Austria, Spain, Sweden, Armenia, and Georgia. It is worth noting that the national coordinator of the project in Georgia is the Georgian Technical University. The project partner is the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia.