Euraxess Georgia Network Startup

Project Information

EuGeNeS

Grant agreement ID: 870232

DOI

10.3030/870232

Project closed

EC signature date 10 September 2019

Start date 1 October 2019

End date 30 September 2022

Funded under

• SCIENCE WITH AND FOR SOCIETY

Total cost

€ 200 000,00

EU contribution

€ 200 000,00

Coordinated by

SHOTA RUSTAVELI NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Georgia

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EuGeNeS (Euraxess Georgia Network Startup)

Reporting period: 2021-04-01 to 2022-09-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Main goal of the EURAXESS Georgia Network Startup project is to start up EURAXESS Georgia national portal and support research mobility, career development and international scientific cooperation at a national level.

The project objectives are:

1. To establish the EURAXESS Service Centre at Georgian bridgehead organization;

2. To set up and make fully operational EURAXESS Georgia network composed by the Georgian bridgehead organization (BHO), EURAXESS Service Centre (ESC) at BHO, and EURAXESS Contact Points (ECP) providing comprehensive information and personalized assistance for mobile and non-mobile researchers;

3. To develop a fully operational EURAXESS Georgia national portal and integrate it to the European portal;

4. To make EURAXESS Georgia national portal and the network well adopted, popular and preferred source of information and support services for researchers;

5. To implement and institutionalize good practices of information and service delivery researchers and their families, facilitate operational sustainability of the EURAXESS Georgia network and safeguard viability of EURAXESS Georgia after the project completion.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

1. The BHO was established at Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia, which advocates researchers’ mobility interests at national and European levels; The BHO establishment meeting was hosted by a director general of the foundation. Special guests included the minister of Education and Science of Georgia and the adviser in Education & Science to the Prime-Minister of Georgia. The meeting was covered by media. Since the establishment of the BHO, the director general of the foundation held various meetings with the scientific staff of Georgian universities and research institutions. During these meetings information about EURAXESS and opportunities it offers was delivered to the target audience.

2. The ESC was established. The ESC staff participated in international trainings and webinars, as well as local conferences such as “EU conference “Making the most of Georgia’s Association to Horizon 2020” at Tbilisi State University. These events helped the ESC staff to increase their capabilities on one hand and spread information about EURAXESS on the other hand. The ESC is now fully functional and provides information and assistance to all interested personnel. The ESC team coordinates development of (i) Georgian National EURAXESS Portal; (ii) Georgian EURAXESS Network, and (iii) EURAXESS services. The Rule on Activities of EURAXESS Georgia Service Center has also been elaborated;

3. Pilot content for EURAXESS Georgia was developed in English and Georgian languages and published on the Portal - www.euraxess.ge;

4. EURAXESS Georgia national portal was launched and integrated on the pan-European EURAXESS portal. The portal is fully operational. EURAXESS Portal Operation Principles has been elaborated;

5. EURAXESS Georgia is presented on social media: Facebook (the most popular social network in the country), as well as Twitter and Youtube;

6. Georgian EURAXESS Network was developed. It is composed by the BHO, ESC and 6 EURAXESS Contact Points (ECPs) representing 6 leading universities of Georgia. Information about the network (including contact information) is available on EURAXESS Georgia National portal;

7. EURAXESS Georgia’s team elaborated Guides: (i) for non-mobile researchers (in Georgian Language) and (ii) Mobility guide for outgoing researcher (in English and Georgian languages). The Guides are published on the EURAXESS Georgia national portal.

8. The ESC provided trainings for the ECPs, Georgian researchers as well as administrative staff of Georgian universities and Research Institutions. Information on EURAXESS and EURAXESS Georgia was communicated via social and traditional media, and disseminated among researchers on different career development stages.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

EURAXESS Georgia startup project (EuGeNeS) was launched 18 months ago. As a result of activities implemented in frame of the project awareness about EURAXESS and opportunities it offers to Georgian researchers and research oriented organizations is increased. EURAXESS was actively promoted by representatives of the BHO, ESC and SCPs. EURAXESS related events/meeting was covered by local media and information was spread by Georgian Diaspora website, as well as websites of Rustaveli Foundation and the Ministry of Education and Science. On one hand, researchers pursuing career development abroad are now more informed about existing opportunities and on the other hand, research organizations are more aware of how to increase their visibility, attract talents, find partners and etc.

EURAXESS Georgia network is established and the ESC together with ECPs actively spread information about EURAXESS, as well as provide information and assistance. The ECPs now have capabilities to do their job independently from the ESC and deliver relevant services to the personnel of their institutions and beyond.
During upcoming months the project team will intensify its work with researchers and research oriented organizations and will provide them with information, assistance, guides and trainings in order to promote EURAXESS further and develop its services.

EURAXESS Georgia startup project created new space for inter-governmental agency cooperation on Georgian research landscape development. As the project Steering Committee members are representatives of different ministries and they cooperate over researchers’ career development and mobility related issues it would promote research landscape and system development process in Georgia. In addition, EURAXESS National Startup Project and its important role in the process of supporting researchers mobility, career development and international cooperation among local and international research centers and universities was emphasized in the Government Program 2019–2020.

Celebration of EURAXESS Service Centre establishment

EURAXESS banner in the meeting room

ESC delivers workshop for ECPs

The project team is developing EURAXESS Georgia Portal