The CAPTAIN: Science is the Captain project, submitted by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, won the grant amounted to EUR 197 500, as established by the European Scholarship and Innovation Framework Program – Horizon 2020, to support the development of science and research.

The project, titled "Captain: Science is the Captain" - is inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's famous quote: "Science is the Captain, and practice the Soldiers". The victory at the competition entails holding a festival of science and innovation during the fall of 2020 in Georgia. The ambitious goal of the project is to hold a truly European celebration of European science and innovation on the European continent.

For the first time in history, the Georgian Science and Innovation Festival will be featured on a specially synchronized festival map created by the European Union for European Researchers across the EU member states and the Horizon 2020 program. European Researchers Night is a large-scale festival of European science and innovation that has been held in dozens of EU member states and dozens of Horizon 2020-affiliated cities since 2005.

As part of the "Captain: Science is the Captain" project, with a grant budget of 197,500 euros, large-scale events will be held in 6 cities of Georgia in the fall of 2020, which will include fun, entertaining, cultural, sports and, most importantly, cognitive activities. The activities envisaged by the project are multidisciplinary and diverse, including museum tours, archeology, astronomy, winemaking, food technology, football, writing and history.

The aim of the project "Captain: Science is the Captain" is to make the public better aware of the positive impact the science has on their daily lives as citizens, to encourage young students to choose a science/research career and to strengthen the image of a scientist in our society.

Furthermore, Shota Rustaveli Georgian National Science Foundation is the partner organization of the project. Dozens of people working in the fields of science, education, culture and sports (scientific research institutions, universities, schools, writers' houses, football federations, etc.) will be involved in the implementation process.

The development and improvement of the Georgian science system is one of the main priorities of the Government of Georgia, as it reflects the country's potential for sustainable economic development and efficiency. Consequently, the popularization of science to the wider masses of society and the involvement of new generations in it is of vital significance. One of the best and most proven methods for the European countries to achieve this goal is the annual organization of the Festival of Science and Innovation.

Marie Skłodowska Curie "European Researchers' Night" competition of The European Scholarship and Innovation Framework Program "Horizon 2020” is announced every two years, and only the EU member states and countries associated with the "Horizon 2020" program have the right to participate in it.