About the Foundation

The Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia (SRNSFG) is a Legal Entity of Public Law under the aegis of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia, which supports the development of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) system in Georgia.

The strategic vision of the foundation conforms the „Government Program for 2021 - 2024 Towards Building a European State” and the requirements of the Georgia-EU Association Agreement regarding to development of Science, Technology and Innovation System.

The mission of the foundation is to promote Georgia’s integration into the international STI system, and significantly contribute to rapid socio-economic development and welfare of the country.

The aims of the foundation are to support new generation of Georgian scientists, increase research potential in the scientific institutions and communities, support Georgian scientists’ integration into the international scientific area by ensuring the improvements in quality, importance and competitiveness of the innovative scientific research.

The Foundation has the International Policy Board (IPB), which consists of leading Georgian and foreign scientists and the representatives of the Government of Georgia.

Activity of the Foundation

The foundation implements state grant calls, targeted programmes and projects, is involved in international scientific networks and joint projects. SRNSFG administers more than 30 national and international programmes, also projects EURAXESS Georgia Network Startup –EuGeNes and Caliper, funded by the EU Research and Innovation Framework programme Horizon 2020.

Since 2021, the Foundation has been the National Contact Point for the following institutions in Georgia of the EU Research and Innovation Framework Program Horizon Europe: Institute for European Innovation and Technology (EIT), Marie Sklodowska-Curie Activities (MSCA), Joint Research Center (JRC).

In 2016-2020, the Foundation was the National Contact Point of the European Research Council (ERC) in Georgia, part of the EU Research and Innovation Framework Program Horizon 2020.

Since April 2020, Shota Rustaveli Georgian National Science Foundation is a beneficiary organization of the European Commission-funded Twinning project.

Through the improvement of administered programs and targeted measures that are convenient with national priorities and the socio-economic challenges of the country, the project focuses on cooperation between business and science in Georgia and promotes inter-sectoral multidisciplinary research opportunities to develop the country's science, innovation and technology system.

Through the maintenance of annual membership fees by the Foundation, Georgian scientists are given the opportunity to participate in projects of international research centers such as the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JIUR DUBNA).

Since 2015, the Foundation has coordinated access to a consortium of 21 institutions with the electronic databases of the international scientific publication ELSEVIER (ScienceDirect, Scopus), and from 2019 up to date, the number of consortium members is 55.

In 2018, the Foundation additionally provided access to Clarivate Analytics databases, analytical tools (Web of Science, Derwent Innovation) for a consortium of 15 organizations. In 2019, the Foundation funded a research internship with ERC grant beneficiaries.

Priorities and Grant Calls of the Foundation

• Supporting the excellent, high quality scientific research in Georgia

The foundation funds innovative Fundamental and Applied scientific projects of high international scientific potential in all scientific fields. Development of research programmes in Georgian Studies and its popularization in the international scientific area is of strategic importance. The foundation promotes Georgian researchers, working abroad, to involve in research projects and their repatriation as well as development and modernization of scientific research infrastructure.

• Promoting Georgian scientists’ competitiveness and development of young scientists’ potential

The foundation promotes development of young scientists’ (Post- Docs, PhD students, MA students and residents) scientific capabilities and their integrity into the research projects. The foundation supports Georgian scientists’ involvement and mobility into the international scientific area by introducing their innovative research results at the international scientific events abroad as well as through the large-scale international conferences, symposiums and seasonal schools in the country.

• Development of research in Georgian Studies

Development of researches and targeted programmes in Georgian Studies and popularization in the international scientific area is one of the significant strategic challenge of the foundation. For this purpose SRNSFG administers Research of Georgia’s Cultural and Material Heritage, Targeted projects supporting joint doctoral programs in cooperation with international partners, targeted programs, international conferences for Georgian studies. New calls have been launched since 2019: Call for Supporting Scientific Research Projects and International Scientific Events in the Cross-Border Regions of Georgia; Grant Call for Promotion of Scientific Research Projects and International Scientific Events in the Occupied Territories of Georgia; Grant call for promoting scientific research projects and international scientific activities in the field of Caucasus Studies.

• Science Internalization and enhancement of international cooperation

The Foundation facilitates science internationalization in Georgia and Georgian researchers’ involvement in international scientific networks by promoting the bilateral and multilateral programmes in cooperation with the national science foundations and centers of the EU and leading Asian countries. In order to increase the number of applications for the new EU research and innovation framework programme ‘Horizon Europe’, the Foundation will provide information about the programme to the local research community.

• Science popularization

Science popularization is one of the significant priorities. Foundation impements grant calls, international educational programs in this direction. Aim of the implemented calls is to promote science popularization in all groups of society. For this purpose foundation conducts Grant Competition “Leonardo da VINCI”; Prize for Special Achievement in Science; Targeted Grant Call for Science Popularizaton; Scientific Publication Grant Call. Foundation implements the encouragement program for successful students, administers sub-program of International Academic Olympiads, provides selection, preparation and participation of Georgian National teams in International Academic Olympiads.

The budget of the foundation for 2022 is 33 695 300 GEL.