The team of TSU Faculty of Economics and Business “TSU-CactoTech”, led by Mariam Kapanadze, a student, and supervised by Associate Professor Nazira Kakulia, participated in the final stage of the competition “Uni4Verse” organized by Georgia’s Innovation and Technology Agency (GITA).  

On the initiative of Georgia’s Innovation and Technology Agency (GITA), the university competition "Uni4Verse" in the field of technologies and innovations was held for the first time this year.

The main theme of the competition was green economy and renewable resources, and its aim was to encourage students to create and develop innovative ideas in the field of green economy, and to form innovative startup ideas.

The competition was held in several stages throughout Georgia. The first stage was dedicated to the research of challenges. The second stage involved internal competitions at universities.

Two teams expressed their desire to participate in the competition at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, both of which were created and prepared at the Sustainable Development Research Center at the Department of Macroeconomics of the Faculty of Economics and Business:

The members of the “TSU-CactoTech” team were Mariam Kapanadze, Erekle Chkheidze, Giorgi Grigolia and Tamaz Lobzhanidze. The members of the “TSU Greengen” team were Tornike Kvachantiradze, Giorgi Khutsishvili, Ketevan Japaridze and Davit Mamulashvili.

The mentor for both teams was Nazira Kakulia, Associate Professor of the Department of Macroeconomics at the Faculty of Economics and Business.

On November 25, the intra-university selection stage was held, where the jury, consisting of representatives of GITA and GREDA, selected the winning TSU team: Mariam Kapanadze’s “TSU-CactoTech”, which won the right to represent the university at the national Uni4Verse stage.

Teams representing 18 Georgian universities took part in the four-day training held at Technopark in March 2025. After the semi-final round, the best of the 18 teams were selected, including Mariam Kapanadze’s “TSU-CactoTech.”

In the final round, selected teams from 12 Georgian universities presented their ideas and projects to a special jury to determine the best team of the year in the field of innovation and technology.

Mariam Kapanadze’s team “TSU-CactoTech” presented the startup "GreenTus", which was about the production of leather and its products from cactus leaves through an environmentally friendly production process, with the aim of reducing hazardous waste. The university team was appreciated by the competent jury and deserved the approval of the specialists.

The students gained great experience by participating in the competition. The main goal of the Uni4Verse competition was to support students, develop their ideas, and encourage sustainable, advanced technology solutions.