Kutaisi International University held the closing ceremony of the KIU and GITA Innovation Summer School and the awarding ceremony for the winning project/team. Kutaisi International University Rector Alexander Tevzadze, KIU Chancellor Magda Magradze, Georgian Innovation and Technology Agency Chairman Avtandil Kasradze, and jury members attended the event“.
The Summer School of Innovation and Startup Acceleration, a collaborative initiative between Kutaisi International University (KIU) and the Georgian Innovation and Technology Agency (GITA), is an annual event. This year, 60 successful students participated in the Innovation Summer School. In the final stage, approximately 10 projects were presented. As part of the program, KIU students took a startup-building course led by entrepreneur Nikoloz Gogochuri. Participants had the opportunity to enhance their foundational skills in innovative thinking, ideation, and startup development while gaining practical experience in launching early-stage startups. Over several months, students worked on both theoretical and practical aspects, developing their own ideas, forming teams for specific startups, and crafting innovative project models.
The winning project/team is called Releafer. KIU students who worked on the startup idea include Niko Kasrashvili, Tamar Sanaia, Luka Sanaia, Nini Sharvashidze, and Liza Takaishvili. The winners will receive a special prize from KIU and GITA and will have the opportunity to attend the Innovation Learning Summit.
The Summer School of Innovation and Startup Acceleration has been held at Kutaisi International University since 2021. Over the past two years, approximately 150 KIU students have participated in the program. Within the project, dozens of startup ideas initiated by students have been implemented. Most of the participants have applied the knowledge and experience they acquired in practice, with many of them establishing their own startup businesses and securing various types of funding.
In 2021, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between Kutaisi International University (KIU) and the Georgia Innovation and Technology Agency (GITA), under which GITA cooperates with the University to develop the innovative ecosystem and works on various innovation projects.
