Within the scope of the Georgia-US Strategic Partnership, the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, Mikheil Chkhenkeli, and the US Ambassador to Georgia, Kelly Degnan, signed an online agreement to enhance cooperation in science and technology.

Mikheil Chkhenkeli: "Today we signed an agreement with the Ambassador of the United States of America, which envisages cooperation in the fields of science and technology. The agreement creates an opportunity to exchange ideas, information, technologies and implement joint projects, which will contribute to the development of these areas in Georgia and in the long run will be the basis for public welfare and economic growth.

The United States is our main strategic partner, whose role is crucial for the development of Georgia's education system. I want to thank once again the Government of the United States, the American people, and Ambassador Kelly Degnan personally for their tremendous contribution to the development of education and science in Georgia. "

Kelly Degnan: "The United States and Georgia have a long and fruitful history of successful cooperation in science and education - to support Georgian universities through student and science exchange programs. Today we are taking further steps to strengthen our governments' scientific and technological cooperation."

The agreement between Georgia and the United States envisages a 10-year extension of cooperation in science and technology. Its main goal is to strengthen the scientific and technological capabilities of the parties and to promote the expansion of relations between the academic circles of both countries.

Fruitful cooperation in the field of education between Georgia and the United States has been going on for many years. At this stage, USAID's $7 Million project - Achieving Student-Centered Education for a New Tomorrow (ASCENT) is underway to help students develop reading, math, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. In addition, the project expands the Fulbright program and adds an English Language Teaching Assistant (ETA) component to support the internationalization process of regional higher education institutions.

The US Government Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Second Compact, worth $ 140 million, is the largest investment in all levels of education in Georgia and has had a significant impact on Georgian citizens, especially its young people. Under the Compact, 91 public schools were fully restored in 2014-2019 and equipped with modern science laboratories. The learning environment has been improved for up to 40,000 students, more than 20,000 people have undergone a long-term vocational development course, and 51 new vocational education programs have been developed.

Funded by the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Second Compact, San Diego State University Georgia Branch has been implementing high-quality technology and engineering American undergraduate programs since 2015. As a result of a partnership between the Government of Georgia and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, in 2020, for the first time in the region, two TSU undergraduate programs were accredited by the American Engineering and Technology Accreditation Board (ABET).