On October 19-22, 2022, ESRI experts Ilham Humbatov and Elsevar Latifli visited the city of Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia in connection with participation in the 4th Informal Working Group Meeting under the Eastern Partnership (EaP) Research and Innovation Panel, as well as meetings with Georgian leading think tanks.
During the visit, ESRI representatives met with delegations of the ISET Policy Institute, the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies (Rondeli Foundation), and the Policy and Management Advisory Group (PMCG). During the meetings, ESRI representatives received information on the activities of the institutions and discussed educational programs, capacity-building programs, joint regional activities and cooperation opportunities.
As part of the visit, ESRI experts participated in the 4th Informal Working Group Meeting under the Eastern Partnership Research and Innovation Panel. The representatives of the European Commission, specialists from organizations of the EaP countries, as well as Belgium, Germany, Latvia and Romania also attended the event. During the meeting, the parties discussed the current situation with the participation of the EaP countries in the “Horizon Europe” program, the problems arising and accomplishments made in the implementation of the scientific and innovative priorities of “Horizon 2020”, the preparation and implementation of national plans and programs. Giving a presentation in the third session devoted to integration into the European Research Area, I. Humbatov emphasized the importance of international cooperation and participation in joint projects in this area. He drew the attention of the participants to the successful experience of Azerbaijan in this direction. E. Latifli participated in the discussions on the activities of the European Innovation Council.
In addition, the delegations visited the Georgian Innovation and Technology Agency (GITA) and the Technology Park. GITA hosted a Panel Discussion on the topic “Academy-Business Collaboration for Synergy in the Knowledge Triangle – a View from Georgia”.
