The Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Mikheil Chkhenkeli, held a working meeting with the honorary president of Kutaisi International University, the world-famous scientist, Professor Wolfgang Herman. The sides discussed the prospects of the future development of the university and issues related to the Hadron therapy centre.

As the minister noted, the Kutaisi International University, which became operational in 2020, has been soaring in popularity, which is an indication that its development is taking place with the right strategy. Mikheil Chkhenkeli congratulated Wolfgang Herman on the fact that, based on the results of the unified national exams of 2022, according to the average competitive score, Kutaisi International University is ranked first in the country. The minister thanked the honorary president for his special contribution to the development of Kutaisi International University.

At the meeting, Mikheil Chkhenkeli once again mentioned that the Kutaisi International University started operating with the academic programs created in cooperation with the Technical University of Munich. This approach is maintained and the work on creating academic programs with the world's leading universities in a specific field is intensively ongoing, which determines the degree of internationalization of the university.

According to the minister, the collaboration of Kutaisi International University with San Diego State and Leuven Universities in order to create and implement master's and doctoral programs in cyber security is particularly noteworthy in this direction.

Furthermore, during the meeting, Mikheil Chkhenkeli emphasized that the Hadron therapy centre is being built on the premises of the Kutaisi International University with the funding of the "Kartu" Foundation, where international scientific circles will be involved in the process of conducting research in the direction of oncology and proton therapy. The ultra-modern cyclotrons have already been installed in the world's leading manufacturer of proton therapy equipment for cancer diseases – IBA. It should be noted that one cyclotron will be entirely intended for scientific research in medical and nuclear physics, whereas the second one will be entirely used for cancer treatment.

As the minister noted, the Hadron therapy centre on the premises of Kutaisi International University will make a significant contribution to the treatment of cancerous diseases and will save the lives of many people.

Speaking with Professor Wolfgang Hermann, the minister also stated that the international advisory board, which includes famous and leading scientists from different countries of the world, plays a major role in the strategic development of the university, as well as the industry advisory board, which ensures the policy of creating academic programs and training students in accordance with the requirements of the international labour market.

During the meeting with Mikheil Chkhenkeli, the Honorary President of Kutaisi University, Professor Wolfgang Herman, drew attention to the importance of Kutaisi International University and said that this project is unique in the direction of internationalization of Georgian higher education. As he noted, he is particularly proud that he has been personally involved in the development of KIU since the university's foundation. According to Wolfgang Herrmann, it is doubly gratifying that the German scientific community has become an integral part of this outstanding university.

At the end of the meeting, the former president of the Technical University of Munich and the honorary president of Kutaisi International University, Wolfgang Herman, thanked the Minister of Education and Science of Georgia for his support and spoke about the prospects of enhancing the existing cooperation.

Kutaisi International University is a mega-project of the Georgian education system. The author of the idea and concept of the university belongs to Mr. Bidzina Ivanishvili. It was as a result of his and his family's extremely important contribution that a world-class academic and scientific-research space emerged in the country.