On November 10, in honour of International Science Day, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Youth Affairs of Georgia organized a remarkable event at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. The event celebrated the winners of the Leonardo Da Vinci Competition, as well as young and distinguished scientists.

Aleksandre Tsuladze, the Minister of Education, Science, and Youth Affairs, addressed the audience, congratulating them on International Science Day and highlighting the critical role of science in driving development.

Leonardo Da Vinci Competition Awards

The winners of the Leonardo Da Vinci Competition were honoured with prizes and monetary awards:

• Grand Prize: The creators of the project Ecomic Clever Fish Farm received GEL 10,000.
• First Place: The authors of the project Water Oil Cleansing Unmanned Boat were awarded GEL 3,000.
• Second Place: The creators of the project The Tatman were awarded GEL 2,000.

Recognition of Scientific Excellence

Awards and certificates were also presented to distinguished scientists for their contributions to their respective fields. The 2024 Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation laureates included:

• David Shengelia: Doctor of Geology-Mineralogy, Professor, and Academician at the Georgian National Academy of Sciences.
• Elene Machavariani: Doctor of Art Sciences and Chief Scientist at the National Center of Manuscripts of Georgia.
• Otar Gamkrelidze: Doctor of Legal Sciences and Senior Research Fellow at Tinatin Tsereteli Institute of State and Law, TSU.
• Nodar Kakhidze: Doctor of History and Chief Research Fellow at Shota Rustaveli State University.

Young researchers making significant contributions to scientific projects were also recognized, including:

• Ketevan Kankava: Doctor of Sciences, Tbilisi State Medical University.
• Leri Tavadze: Doctor of History, TSU Faculty of Humanities.
• Levan Tielidze: Doctor of Geography, Ilia State University.
• Irakli Lomidze: Doctor of Physics, Institute of Quantum Physics and Engineering Technology of Georgia.
• Nino Pochkhidze: Doctor of Biology, Ivane Beritashvili Experimental Biomedicine Center.
• Elisabeth Zaldastanishvili: Doctor of Biological Sciences, Giorgi Eliava Institute of Bacteriophagy, Microbiology, and Virology.

Special prizes were awarded to participants in innovative projects by the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia (Sakpatenti) and other institutions.

Prominent Attendees

The event featured speeches from Teimuraz Dochvir, Director of the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation, and Jaba Samushia, Rector of Tbilisi State University. Among the attendees were:

• David Gurgenidze, Rector of Georgian Technical University.
• Irakli Natroshvili, Rector of Tbilisi State Medical University.
• Roin Metreveli, President of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences.
• Soso Giorgadze, Chairman of the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia.
• Soso Pkhakadze, President of the Georgian Business Association.

About International Science Day

Established by UNESCO in 2001, International Science Day aims to raise public awareness about the importance of science and encourage public engagement in addressing critical scientific issues.

This event underscored Georgia's commitment to fostering scientific excellence, innovation, and public appreciation of science.