MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

"It is a great honor for me and, at the same time, a great joy, that today we can talk about this important project, which will be implemented in Kutaisi - a city that historically has great traditions in terms of education, especially technical education. I am sure that as a result of the implementation of this project, the potential of the youth of Kutaisi will be realized as much as possible, it will help to reveal the talent of young people and raise their qualifications, their appropriate employment and future success," – the First Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Levan Davitashvili stated during his speech at the presentation of the Technology Hub in Kutaisi.

The Technology Hub is to be established in the former parliament building.

The Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, gave a speech at the presentation, and Avtandil Kasradze, the Head of the Georgian Innovation and Technology Agency, spoke about the concept of the hub.

The First Vice Prime Minister noted that it was symbolic that the presentation of the project was held in Kutaisi, which is one of the most important educational hubs. "There is an international university in Kutaisi, which I think, in recent years, during the period of independence, is one of the important educational projects that is developing in the country, is being implemented very successfully and has important ambitious plans to make this city not only an educational, but also a scientific and technological center. Therefore, the state policy aimed at the development of technologies and innovations is fully in line with this vision of development" – Levan Davitashvili noted.

The First Vice Prime Minister highlighted that 10 years ago, the government started to promote the technologies and the innovations and took the first steps in this direction, including the establishment of the Innovation and Technology Agency within the system of the Ministry of Economy. "With establishment of the Agency, we have created an ecosystem for the development of startups and innovations, our startups have already successfully attracted more than half a billion GEL of investment from international investors. Many successful projects were launched in Georgia, and I hope that these successful projects will become successful global businesses in the future. The role of the state in the development of the startup and innovation ecosystem is immense. We believe that the government of Georgia should be actively involved in these processes. Therefore, we continue programs aimed at promoting startups, innovative ideas, projects, this implies both access to finance and various types of support, including the introduction of accelerators, as well as all those projects that will actually allow these new ideas to turn into successful businesses," – Levan Davitashvili noted.

As the First Vice Prime Minister noted, the innovation ecosystem unites many performers, including the heads of various ministries and agencies, who will play an important role in the development of this technological center, Technology Hub. "Of course, international accelerators, incubators, high-tech companies, academic and scientific institutions will also be represented here. The success of this project ultimately depends on everyone's cooperation and coordination. I would like to thank all the people involved in the project, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze for supporting this project. I am sure that this is to be another important initiative that will give new life to Kutaisi," – Levan Davitashvili noted.

It should be noted that the Technology Hub in Kutaisi will combine various components. An interactive scientific-technological museum, a startup accelerator, an international IT school, a conference space, a common workspace, a powerful data center for the development of Georgian artificial intelligence, electronics, robotics, drones, IoT, STEAM, industrial innovations (fablab) and other experimental laboratories will be provided in the territory. Accordingly, one of the largest technological parks will be located in the Technology Hub of Kutaisi, which will be opened in the fall of 2025.