The Rector of Tbilisi State University, Academician Jaba Samushia inaugurated the international event commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Georgian-German Science Bridge (GGSB). During the one-week scientific festival, Georgian scientists, invited foreign experts and students will present the results of joint research conducted within the framework of GGSB. Additionally, they will deliver reports, a course of lectures on pertinent topics such as hadronic therapy, visualization of medical images, applications of artificial intelligence in science, etc.

The event entitled “The First 20 Years – Achievements of GGSB and its SMART|Labs” was attended by members of the Georgian-German Science Bridge (GGSB) from Germany and representatives of the consortium of partner universities from Georgia, as well as invited guests and students. The inaugural event of the science festival provided a comprehensive overview of the scientific, educational, personal, and cultural exchange programs that have been undertaken over the past two decades.

Rector of TSU Jaba Samushia presented a historical account of the establishment of the Georgian-German Science Bridge, along with an overview of the 20-year experience of partnership. “The Georgian-German consortium represents a unique opportunity for friendship and cooperation between Georgian and German scientists, within the framework of which many important joint projects have been implemented. Over the course of the past two decades, dozens of students and PhD students were sent to Germany. It is important that this project gives Georgian postdocs the opportunity to enhance their qualifications in Germany, then return to Georgia and continue their scientific work in their homeland,” said Jaba Samushia.

Professor John Shah, Director of the Institute of Neurosciences and Medicine of the Jülich Research Center (Forschungszentrum Jülich) presented an overview of the future plans and strategic directions of the Georgian-German Science Bridge. He stated that the attendees of the event were convened with the objective of sharing experiences and determining the future of the Georgian-German Science Bridge, identifying new partners, and expanding the Georgian-German consortium.

The Jülich Research Center has been engaged in active collaboration with four Georgian universities for two decades. The collaboration commenced in 1992 with the establishment of a partnership between the Institute of High Energy Physics of TSU and the Nuclear Physics Institute of Jülich Research Center. Since 2004, the collaboration has continued within the framework of the Georgian-German Science Bridge (GGSB) concept, which encompasses three principal areas of activity: fundamental and applied research, education and students, and knowledge transfer. As part of the cooperation, a school and a seminar are held on a biennial basis. Since 2010, other Georgian universities have participated in these events. The members of the Georgian-German Science Bridge (GGSB) from Germany are as follows: The Jülich Research Center (FZJ), the Darmstadt Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research (GSI), and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR). The Georgian side is represented by a consortium of partner universities: Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU), Agrarian University of Georgia (AUG), Ilia State University (ISU), Georgian Technical University (GTU) and Kutaisi International University (KIU).  

Within the framework of the Georgian-German Scientific Bridge (GGSB), the so-called SMART|laboratories were opened at the universities of Georgia. The first such laboratory, SMART | EDM_Lab commenced operations at Tbilisi State University in January 2017. The laboratory is analogous to the laboratory in Jülich, which is engaged in experimental investigations of the electric dipole moments of elementary particles within the framework of the Jülich Electric Dipole moment Investigations (JEDI) international collaboration. On September 29, 2017, the second such laboratory, SMART|AtmoSim_Lab, was opened at TSU. The laboratory is engaged in research pertaining to the atmosphere, encompassing chemical analysis of atmospheric pollutants, mathematical data analysis, and air pollution modeling. The SMART Labs provide an opportunity for young people in Georgia to engage in scientific research within their own country.

The Georgian-German Science Bridge (GGSB) offers Georgian students the chance to undertake internships in German research institutions and to participate in lectures on a range of topics related to natural and engineering sciences.