NATO and Georgia strengthen scientific cooperation to tackle new security challenges

NATO and Georgia reaffirmed the importance of their long-standing scientific cooperation at an Information Day in Tbilisi on Wednesday (3 May 2023).

The event was organized with support from Georgia’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs and of Education and Science, and brought together over fifty participants from public and not-for profit research institutions. The event highlighted recent activities carried out through NATO’s Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme, including research on resilience and the protection of infrastructure from geological hazards and underground explosions. "We are glad to showcase the SPS Programme in Tbilisi. I hope that this Information Day will enable greater participation of Georgia in research activities relevant to our shared security challenges and priorities," said James Appathurai, NATO’s Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges.

Georgian scientists have been engaged with NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Programme since 1994 on a broad range of themes, including environmental and energy security; counter-terrorism; cyber defence; defence against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) agents; and Women, Peace and Security. 

Through the recent launch of a new call for proposals, the SPS Programme is providing an opportunity for scientists in Georgia, as well as other NATO partner countries, to develop innovative security-related scientific initiatives in cooperation with their counterparts from NATO countries.