Project Objectives

HERD project coordinator, Nino Okribelashvili disseminated the information about project on Rectors' Standing Conference


On July 7-8, 2021, the Rectors' Standing Conference, hosted by Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, was held. The Rectors’ Standing Conference, founded in July 2019, shares the fundamental principles of the Magna Charta Universitatum, such as academic freedom and institutional autonomy, and showing aspiration toward the European and national humanistic traditions, integration of Research and Teaching, etc. This is a platform, where rectors are discussing the challenges of higher education, funding issues of HEIs, and negotiating positions concerning reforms in education. Rectors and representatives of more than 30 accredited HEIs of Georgia participated in the 2021 conference. Special attention was paid to the EU-funded institutional development project HERD: Raising Research Capacity of Georgian HEIs through Developing R&D Units. The project coordinator, Deputy Rector of TSU, Nino Okribelashvili, noted that the dissemination of information on HERD at the Rectors' Standing Conference is important to encourage the initiation of the academic discussion among the decision-makers in the field of higher education for the scientific portal and its future development. HERD project coordinator, TSU vice-rector in research Nino Okriberashvili was stated that observed significant challenges during the implementation process could not be resolved without the support of the Ministry of Science and Education of Georgia. One of these challenges is that the project partner universities do not have permanent access to Scopus and other scientific databases and if it would support if the problem would be reflected in the Rectors' Standing Conference Resolution. Finally, the project coordinator expressed an opinion that the essential part of the forthcoming new Strategic plan on Education and Science development would mention a Unified National Scientific Portal and some guarantees to access the scientific bases of its functioning. Director of National Center for Educational Quality Enhancement - Tamar Makharashvili, Dean of the Davit Tvildiani Medical University - Nino Bregvadze, Rector of Vano Sarajishvili Tbilisi State Conservatoire - Nana Sharikadze, participated in the discussion. George Sharvashidze - the TSU Rector, Chairman of the Rectors’ Standing Conference summarized the meeting. He noted that one of the main tasks of project HERD - the creation of a unified national scientific portal – Georgian Research Information System – GRIS.emis.ge, along with the encouragement of cooperation between researchers, considers the irreversible process of generating new research projects and responds directly to the EU positive expectations toward the country's scientific development.