5th Informal Working Group Meeting of the Eastern Partnership was held in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. The Georgian delegation led by the head of the International Relations and Strategic Development Department of the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia Kakha Khandolishvili participated in the event. Furthermore, the delegation included Professor, Dr. Erekle Astakhishvili, Director General of Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia and Professor Nino Inasaridze, Head of the Horizon Europe National Office.

At the event, representatives of Eastern Partnership countries and EU member states, including researchers, innovators, civil society and research organizations, discussed the most pressing challenges of Eastern Partnership. Additionally, representatives discussed future plans of EaP in the direction of existing priorities after 2020.

The experts had the opportunity to assess the progress of countries in their participation in Horizon Europe, as well as in the development and implementation of national plans and programmes to support research and innovation reforms. At the forum the integration of Eastern Partnership countries into the European research area, smart specialization strategies and other important issues were highlighted.

Within the framework of the event, an Agreement on Cooperation was signed between The National Agency for Research and Development of the Republic of Moldova (NARD) and Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation of Georgia (SRNSFG). The purpose of the agreement is to deepen the cooperation between Georgia and Moldova in the fields of research, technology and innovation.