Annual Meeting of the VINIFERA EUROMASTER Consortium Partners at GTU

The Georgian Technical University hosted the annual meeting of partners from “Vinifera EuroMaster”, an international educational consortium focused on viticulture and enology. During the event, European partners discussed modern trends in the sector’s scientific development, toured the university’s educational and research infrastructure, and explored opportunities to deepen international academic cooperation.

Fourteen representatives from seven European higher education institutions participated in the meeting. The partners included L’Institut Agro Montpellier (France), Changins – Higher School of Viticulture and Enology (Switzerland), the University of Turin (Italy), Hochschule Geisenheim University (Germany), the School of Agriculture (Instituto Superior de Agronomia) at the University of Lisbon (Portugal), Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal), the Polytechnic University of Madrid (Spain) – Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, and the University of Udine (Italy) – Università degli Studi di Udine. Professor Patrice Lallement, Director of the International Relations Department at L’Institut Agro Montpellier, led the delegation.

Professor Tamar Tsereteli, Vice-Rector of the Georgian Technical University, opened the meeting. She highlighted the importance of international academic cooperation, the prospects for developing partnerships with European universities, and the role of joint educational initiatives in training qualified professionals for the viticulture and winemaking sector.

“For the Georgian Technical University, hosting the annual meeting of the Vinifera EuroMaster consortium partners represents a significant opportunity to strengthen cooperation with European higher education institutions further and to expand joint educational and scientific initiatives. This partnership bridges Georgia’s centuries-old experience in viticulture and winemaking with modern European scientific knowledge, laying the groundwork for developing the new competencies essential to the sector’s advancement.

Our goal is to translate international cooperation into concrete academic and scientific outcomes, fostering knowledge exchange, implementing modern research approaches, and creating new professional development opportunities for students. Direct engagement with European colleagues, exploring their teaching and research environments and discussing contemporary scientific issues, is vital to this process. I am confident that this collaboration with the consortium will further strengthen the university’s international ties and help showcase Georgia’s scientific and educational potential in the fields of viticulture and enology within the international academic arena.”

 – Professor Tamar Tsereteli

According to Professor Liana Targamadze, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Chemical Technologies at Georgian Technical University, international academic cooperation is particularly significant for students because it offers opportunities to gain modern scientific knowledge and develop practical skills.

“The primary value of such international meetings lies in the fact that their outcomes directly impact the quality of students’ education and their professional development. Collaboration with partners in the Vinifera EuroMaster consortium enables our students to gain insight into modern scientific advancements in European viticulture and enology, as well as innovative methods and practical approaches implemented within the field. Lectures delivered by professors from partner universities, combined with shared expertise, foster students’ analytical thinking, research skills, and practical competencies. It is especially important to us that future specialists possess not only a solid theoretical foundation but also the skills needed to work effectively in an international professional environment. It is precisely through this type of collaboration that a basis is established for students to integrate European experience with the traditions of Georgian viticulture and enology, ultimately allowing them to contribute to the development of the sector.”

 – Professor Liana Targamadze

During the visit, representatives of the consortium toured the Jighaura facility at the Scientific-Research Center for Agriculture. The Center’s head, Academician Levan Ujmajuridze, briefed the guests on its core activities and ongoing research projects in viticulture and winemaking.

The delegation members explored the site’s grapevine collection, research laboratories, and a museum space dedicated to vines and wine. The visit also included a tasting of wines made from rare grape varieties, allowing guests to learn about the genetic diversity of Georgian vines and local oenological traditions.

The consortium partners also visited the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Chemical Technologies at the Georgian Technical University. They toured the teaching laboratories for viticulture-enology, food science, and microbiology, as well as the dairy and wine teaching-production facilities located on the faculty premises. The guests explored the faculty’s educational environment and the infrastructure designed to support students’ practical training and the development of their professional competencies.

As part of the visit’s academic program, professors from the consortium partner institutions delivered lectures to the university’s students and academic community on the topic: “Latest Developments in European Viticulture and Enology”.