On 25 January 2017, researchers from the APRC attended a stakeholder meeting of the European Neighborhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD). The meeting was organized by EVOLUXER, which is an implementing partner for capacity building to the Agricultural Cooperatives Development Agency (ACDA).

Shota Bakhuashvili of the Class of 2017 decided to apply for an MA research scholarship at the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation after listening to an encouraging speech by Professor Norberto Pignatti during a lecture. Shota was ultimately successful, winning 6000 lari that he will use for books, papers, and travel to attend conferences.

The average cost of cooking one standard Imeretian Khachapuri in the last month of 2016 increased to 3.62 GEL, which is 4.6 % higher month-on-month (m/m, that is, compared to the previous month), and 4% lower year-on-year (y/y, that is, compared to the same month of last year).

Protectionism and any kind of import restrictions have supporters in every country, and Georgia is no exception. Recently, I attended a lunch meeting on the need for an antidumping law, organized by Georgian Lawyers for Independent Professions, Governing for Growth (G4G), and the Society of Free Individuals. Participants from different sectors and institutions presented their views on the possible economic consequences of antidumping regulations currently being discussed by the Georgian government.

Back in 2005, the Georgian government introduced the Unified Entry Examinations (UEE) for admittance into universities. Before the UEE, each university had its own set of entry examinations and examiners, which opened the system to abuse and corruption. With the introduction of the UEE, the government of Georgia managed to make the system fairer and more transparent.