On 17–18 September, the final international consortium meeting of the European Commission-funded Erasmus+ project “Responsible Conduct of Research - Research Integrity and Ethics in Georgian Universities” (ETHICS) was held in Batumi, Georgia. The meeting was hosted by Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University.

The final meeting brought together representatives of 10 Georgian higher education institutions participating in the project consortium, four European partner organisations, and key national stakeholders. The meeting focused on reviewing the results achieved within the project, assessing overall progress, and discussing ways to ensure the sustainability of the project outcomes beyond its completion.

During the meeting, participants reviewed the overall progress of the project, its Work Packages, key results and lessons learned. European partners also presented the research ethics tools developed and implemented, capacity-building activities, and the outcomes of sharing European experience and best practices.

During the session dedicated to national stakeholders, participants discussed the integration of the ETHICS project results into higher education accreditation standards and research funding mechanisms.

The Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia was represented by Director General Teimuraz Dochviri and Specialist in International Cooperation and Public Relations Tinatin Kuchukhidze.

The main objective of the ETHICS project is to improve and strengthen existing research ethics and research integrity mechanisms, procedures and services within Georgian higher education institutions.

Project Coordinator: Ilia State University

More information about the project is available at: https://ethics.iliauni.edu.ge/