On December 16, the Georgian Research and Educational Networking Association – GRENA within the framework of the European Commission NI4OS-Europe project organized a first meeting for the executive board members of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Georgian Open Science Cloud initiative. The meeting was attended by representatives of fifteen organizations participating in the memorandum.
The general objectives of the MoU are to:
- Support the development of a national strategic vision for the optimization of data services in favor of scientific research and innovation.
- Promote the inclusion of other national institutions in the development of the Georgian Open Science Cloud Initiative.
The Board members attended the presentation made by Tamara Gvenetadze from GRENA regarding on the European Open Science Cloud – EOSC. GRENA Executive Director Ramaz Kvatadze spoke about the activities to be implemented in the near future and noted: “Active participation from the side of the Georgian scientists in EOSC will be beneficial for the integration of Georgian scientific potential in the European research area.”
Mr. Zviad Gabisonia was elected chairman by the members of the board. Mr. Gabisonia was the general director of the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia in the period of 2018-2020 and represented Georgia in the European Open Science Cloud governance board. Currently he is director of the research centre at the Business and Technology University.
Zviad Gabisonia will contribute to the introduction, development and popularization of Open Science principles in Georgia, which will create new opportunities for researchers and the development of the scientific field in the country. Mr. Gabisonia in his speech noted: “It is highly important to advance Open Science practices in Georgia and enlighten the research and educational communities about its advantages.“
NI4OS-Europe is a project promoting national open science cloud initiatives (NOSCIs), services and e-infrastructure in 15 countries in South East Europe. The project aspires to enable researchers of the region to store, analyze and share open scientific data, enhancing their work and boosting innovation in Science.