Mikheil Chkhenkeli, the candidate running for the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, addressed the joint committees of the Parliament and spoke about the most vital mega-projects that have been implemented in the field of higher education despite the pandemic.

"2020 was especially important for higher education in Georgia. The main mega-project – Kutaisi International University was finally unveiled. The idea and its entire concept belongs to Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili. A university of such magnitude and scale could not have existed in Georgia had it not been for his and his family's extremely important charity of one billion euros.

In terms of internationalization of higher education and science, the establishment of Kutaisi International University is an event of paramount importance. This is a new state university that is being developed by the Western standards. It is the first university campus-type higher education institution in the entire region.

Additionally, despite the obstacles caused by the pandemic, Kutaisi International University was officially opened in October 2020. The University received its first students this year in three English-language undergraduate programs: Mathematics, Computer Science, and Management. Kutaisi International University cooperates intensively with one of the world's leading universities, the Technical University of Munich. In the coming years, the university will have new academic programs for all three levels of education, each of which will be based on the academic programs of the world's leading universities.

Please note, that along with Georgian professors, there are world leading scientists who read lectures at the university.”

Furthermore, the Ministerial Candidate singled out the scientific-research direction of Kutaisi International University and noted that work has begun on the establishment of the Hadron Therapy Center, where modern research in medical and nuclear physics will be carried out along with the treatment of oncological diseases. The center will house two cyclotrons, which are currently being manufactured by one of the world's leading companies (IBA). This project is also funded by the Cartu Foundation. One cyclotron is used to treat tumors with ultra-modern methods, which is especially important for children with cancer, whereas the second cyclotron will be utilized for heavy scientific research purposes. These studies will be carried out by well-known foreign scientists together with their Georgian peers. Accordingly, Kutaisi International University and Hadron Therapy Center will become an academic and scientific center of world importance.

It should be noted that the establishment of the Industrial Advisory Board is planned at Kutaisi International University. The Board will include representatives of the world's leading companies and business associations.