Science Festival “GGSB 2024 Science Fest: The First 20 Years” Was Held at GTU

The science festival “GGSB 2024 Science Fest “The First 20 Years” was held at the Georgian Technical University, within the framework of the Georgian-German Scientific Bridge (GGSB).

The organizers of the science festival are Consortium of partner universities of Georgia – Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU), Georgian Technical University (GTU), Kutaisi International University (KIU), Ilia State University (ISU), Georgian Agrarian University (AUG), and Georgian – German Science Bridge (GGSB) members from Germany: Jülich Research Center (FZJ), Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ions Darmstadt (GSI), Helmholtz Center Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR). 

The GTU rector opened the event and addressed the audience with a welcome speech. As academician David Gurgenidze stated, the Georgian Technical University, as a member organization of the consortium of universities from the Georgian side, has been successfully cooperating with the German Jülich Research Center for many years.

Within 20 years of fruitful cooperation, many students and young scientists at different levels of Georgian Technical University underwent internships in Germany. 

Autumn lectures were and are being held for Georgian students in Georgia with the participation of German professors. In different years, the laboratories of the Engineering Physics Department of the Faculty of Informatics and Management Systems of the Georgian Technical University were handed over measuring and research equipment, including a mini “MRI” device, which can be used for teaching and research.

According to the rector, in the same period, two powerful and authoritative research centers of the Helmholtz Union (Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) and the Helmholtz Heavy Ion Research Center – GSI), as well as Aachen and Cologne universities, joined the union from the German side. 

“Georgian Technical University is hosting a cycle of events dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Georgian-German scientific bridge, within which the achievements of our joint activities – science, education, personal and cultural exchange programs – will be summarized. I would like to note proudly that during this time, we had significant achievements in the scientific and educational direction. 

I would like to thank my partners, especially Sebastian Schmidt, John Shaw, and Hans Troyer, our university honorary doctors. 

Within the partnership framework, our students have successfully participated in competitions announced by the Jülich Research Center and have been awarded appropriate grants, and they have completed master’s and doctoral theses.

On December 5th, 2023, the “Cooperation agreement in the framework of the GGSB-PLUS” was signed, where together the German side and the Georgian Technical University, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University and Kutaisi International University were signatories. 

Within the framework of “GGSB-PLUS”, at Georgian Technical University and Tbilisi State University the foundation of the SMART laboratory establishment was laid. I hope cooperation will develop and strengthen even more. I wish you success, dear colleagues”, noted David Gurgenidze in his speech.

Celebrating the first 20 years of “GGSB and its SMART Lab achievements”, the week-long Science Fest will summarize the achievements of science, education, staff, and cultural exchange programs over the past two decades. 

Anniversary events are hosted by: Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, Georgian Technical University, and Kutaisi International University.

The science festival is held in two parts: GGSB status and vision for the future – history of cooperation, main achievements, determination of plans and strategic directions, which will be presented at events planned in TSU and GTU; In Kutaisi, at KIU – Georgian students and invited foreign experts will show the results of joint research achieved within the framework of GGSB and will give reports, a course of lectures on such topical topics as hadronic therapy, visualization of medical images, applications of artificial intelligence in science, and others.