Italian Innovation and Research Day 2022 Celebrated in Georgia
By Khatia Bzhalava
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
On May 16, an award ceremony for the Best Georgian Innovators ‘STEM Study Visit to Italy’ was held within the framework of the ‘Operation Agreement’ between the Italian Foundation for Innovation (Cotec) and the Agency for Innovation and Technology of Georgia (GITA).
According to the Embassy of Italy, the agreement, which was concluded in 2018 and later renewed, aims at deepening ties between Italy and Georgia in the scientific-technological field. The event was hosted by the President of GITA, Avtandil Kasradze, and co-introduced by the Ambassador of Italy in Georgia, Enrico Valvo, and the Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, Irakli Nadareishvili.
Within the framework of the initiative, the winner Georgian innovators will enjoy a three-month study visit to Italy at SPICI srl – Company for Innovation, Cooperation, and Internationalization. SPICI is an innovative and renowned digital academy of the Polo Technology of the University of Naples ‘Federico II’, located in San Giovanni a Teduccio (Naples) and operating as an international accelerator and center for entrepreneurship. The study visit is financed by Cotec and co-sponsored by GITA.
The initiative aims to enrich the young Georgian innovators with experience in the field of scientific and technical research and to support the implementation of joint projects aimed at strengthening and expanding cooperation between Italy and Georgia. The innovators will be able to develop digital transformation solutions for enterprises and public administrations and also to design and support entrepreneurial development, intergovernmental programs for scientific cooperation, technology transfer, and internationalization for startups.
The winners of the ‘Stem Study Visit to Italy’ 2022 edition were announced by Ambassador Enrico Valvo: Davit Danelia, specializing in computer engineering, and Mariam Maisuradze, oriented in program management and gender-inclusive innovation.
The ambassador addressed the attendees with a speech and highlighted that thanks to the partnership between the Georgian and Italian sides, it was made possible to organize the first in-person meeting after the covid-19 pandemic.
Ambassador stressed that the quality of applications was very high this year, proving ‘the amazing potentialities of Georgian younger generations,’ as well as “their genuine love for Italy and the desire to strengthen people-to-people connections.”
“Through offering an immersive experience in an Italian innovation hub, with an individual training program and a step-by-step assessment of lessons learnt and further opportunities, it [program] represents quite a unique opportunity at the educational and professional level,” Ambassador of Italy in Georgia remarked.
A delegation representing the overall community of innovators from southern Italy took part in the event. Among them, the Assessor for Research, Innovation, and Startup of the Campania Region, Valeria Fascione, Professor Giorgio Ventre from the University of Naples ‘Federico II’ , the CEO of SPICI, Mr. Vincenzo Lipardi, and other representatives of Italian innovation poles and startup accelerators. The President of COTEC, Professor Nicolais also provided his address remotely. The ceremony was also attended by Dr. Angelo Giuliana - general director of Meditech, Dr. Cristina Angelillo - CEO of InnovUp, Professor Gaga Shurgaia from the University L’Orientale of Naples, and Dr. Nino Enukidze - Rector of the Business and Technology University.
According to the Italian Embassy in Georgia, after the award ceremony, the participating innovation hubs presented their respective strengths and strategies for technological development, in the context of an interactive session between innovators.
