A Roundtable Discussion of the Study of the Needs of Ukrainian Refugees in Georgia
01-Mar-2023
On February 21st, PMC Research held a roundtable discussion of the “Study of the Needs of Ukrainian Refugees in Georgia.”
The study was carried out with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) and aimed to assess Ukrainian refugees' needs, education level, and skills, as well as the labor market integration processes they encounter in Georgia. The ultimate goal of the study was to produce recommendations for stakeholders to develop needs-based services and support Ukrainian refugees in their integration into the Georgian labor market.
Presenting a Study of the Needs of Ukrainian Refugees in Georgia
08-Feb-2023
On February 3rd, PMC Research Center held a roundtable discussion of its Study of the Needs of Ukrainian Refugees in Georgia.
The study was carried out with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) and aimed to assess Ukrainian refugees' needs, education, and skills, as well as the processes they undertake to integrate into the labor market in Georgia. The ultimate goal of the study was to produce recommendations for stakeholders to develop needs-based services and support Ukrainian refugees’ seeking employment in Georgia.
Maritime Trade in the Black Sea in the Context of the Russo-Ukrainian War
01-Feb-2023
On January 27th, PMC Research Center presented the results and held a public discussion on its “Maritime Trade in the Black Sea in the Context of the Russo-Ukrainian War” study.
The study was carried out with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) and aimed to assess the state and needs of maritime trade in the Black Sea amid the Russo-Ukrainian war and to produce respective policy recommendations.
EU-supported Tourism and Food Industry Clusters Established in Oni Municipality
25-Jan-2023
In November and December of 2022, as part of the project “Economic Development of Oni Municipality via Business Clusters Creation and Investment Attraction” implemented under the European Union (EU) initiative “Mayors for Economic Growth,” tourism and food industry clusters were registered in Oni Municipality.
In particular, the tourism cluster was founded by 18 enterprises including guesthouses, restaurants, crafts people, and tourism service providers.
The tourism cluster has the following goals:
Improving the attractiveness of Oni Municipality to tourists;
Diversifying tourism services and offers;
Supporting the development of sustainable tourism;
Improving the tourism infrastructure;
Enhancing human resources by developing knowledge and capacities;
Improving access to finance;
Improving access to inputs;
Developing inter-sectoral linkages; and
Providing information and services to cluster members.
“The creation of a tourism cluster will support the realization of Oni Municipality’s potential in the fields of balneological and health, adventure, ethnocultural, gastronomy, and cultural tourism. This will positively affect the competitiveness of SMEs, support job creation, attract investments, and improve the social and economic conditions in the municipality,” said Manana Bolkvadze, manager of the tourism cluster.
Meanwhile, the food industry cluster was founded by 15 enterprises, representing a variety of trades including beekeeping, cattle-breeding and fruit-growing.
The food industry cluster has the following goals:
Increasing the popularity and sales of food products produced in Oni Municipality;
Improving labor force capacities;
Supporting the development of bio enterprises;
Improving access to finance;
Improving local intersectoral linkages; and
Providing information and services to cluster members.
“Forming a food industry cluster is an important step in the acceleration of the sector’s development, as the cluster will support improvements with regard to SMEs’ competitiveness, job creation, and access to finance, while also stimulating the development of the innovative capacities of entrepreneurs and contributing the to economic prosperity of the Oni Municipality,” said Tengiz Akobia, manager of the food industry cluster.
3rd Meeting of the ICT Sector Public-private Partnership (PPP) Platform
27-Dec-2022
On December 20, we, in the course of the USAID Economic Governance Program, in partnership with the Vocational Skills Agency, held the 3rd meeting of a public-private partnership (PPP) platform on information and communications technology (ICT). The meeting was part of the “Piloting New Public and Private Sectors’ Collaboration Mechanism for VET Program Development” project.
Capacity Development Activity for the Parliament Research Center
10-Dec-2022
On December 6, we held a methodological seminar with representatives of the Regional Policy and Self-Government Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, the Parliament Research Center, and the Mountainous Regions Strategic Development Coordinating Council of Administration of the Government of Georgia as part of the “Capacity Development Activity for the Parliament Research Center” project, which is being implemented by the Parliament of Georgia with financial support from the Embassy of Switzerland in Georgia.
Developing Statutes for Tourism and Food Industry Clusters
17-Oct-2022
On September 30 and October 1, we held workshops with representatives of the tourism and food industry sectors from Oni Municipality, as part of the project “Economic Development of Oni Municipality via Business Clusters Creation and Investment Attraction” implemented under the European Union (EU) initiative “Mayors for Economic Growth.”
Supporting Skills Development of Rural Populations
14-Sep-2022
PMC Research Center (PMC RC), with support from the EU and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the European Neighborhood Programme for Agricultural and Rural Development (ENPARD), recently started a new project entitled “Development of Skills for Rural Vulnerable Groups,” aimed at helping disadvantaged rural populations to find suitable employment by acquiring skills and knowledge currently in-demand on the local labor market
ICT Sector Public-private Partnership (PPP) Platform Meeting
30-Jul-2022
On July 26, we, in partnership with the Vocational Skills Agency and with the support of the USAID Economic Governance Program, held the second meeting of a public-private partnership (PPP) platform on information and communications technology (ICT), aimed at addressing the skills mismatch in this sector. The meeting was part of the project “Piloting New Public and Private Sectors’ Collaboration Mechanism for VET Program Development.”
Supporting Rural SMEs in their Digital Transformation
08-Jul-2022
On July 1-3, PMC Research Center (PMC RC), with support from the EU and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) under the European Neighborhood Programme for Agricultural and Rural Development (ENPARD), conducted digital transformation training for local SMEs in Khulo Municipality as part of a project entitled “Development of Digital Transformation Support for Rural SMEs,” funded by UNDP.
Assessment of the Effectiveness of Sanctions Against Russia
17-May-2022
On May 5, PMC Research Center in collaboration with the Georgian Center for Strategy and Development (GCSD) conducted a presentation and panel discussion entitled “Assessment of the Effectiveness of Sanctions Against Russia.”
Supporting Ethnic Minority Participation in the Civil Service
11-May-2022
On May 3, we participated in an event entitled “Diversified and Inclusive Civil Service” and presented the findings of the “Taking Stock of Ethnic Minority Participation in the Public Service” research, aimed at assessing the representation of ethnic minorities, in particular Azeri- and Armenian-speaking groups in the civil service and identifying barriers that limit their active engagement in this sector.
Barriers to Completion of PhD Studies in Georgia
14-Apr-2022
On April 7, PMC Research Center (PMC RC) held a presentation and panel discussion on the findings of its research entitled “Barriers to Completion of PhD Studies in Georgia,” the aim of which was to improve understanding of the challenges faced by doctoral students who are on academic leave and to offer corresponding policy recommendations.
Uncovering the State of Play of Faculty Professional Development in Georgian Higher Education Institutions
17-Mar-2022
On March 10, PMC Research Center held a presentation and public discussion on the findings of its research entitled “Uncovering the State of Play of Faculty Professional Development in Georgian Higher Education Institutions,” which explored the professional development opportunities for academic staff at Georgian public higher education institutions (HEIs), analyzed their implementation and effectiveness from the perspective of the HEIs and academic staff, and revealed the ways through which these can be advanced to better serve the development goals and priorities of HEIs and faculties.
Discussing Georgia’s Energy Security and Electricity Market Prices
27-Dec-2021
On December 16, PMC Research conducted a presentation and public discussion on the findings of its research entitled “Electricity Market Prices and Georgia’s Energy Security,” which was aimed at drawing attention to the issue of electricity prices, their importance in energy security, and electricity supply security.
Conducting a Country Study on Labor Migration Management
25-Nov-2021
PMC Research Center recently started working on new research under the project “Sustainable and Socially Acceptable Labour Migration Management” being implemented by the University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (H-BRS) along with the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) in Georgia, Germany, Kosovo, and Vietnam, and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
Tourism Sector Challenges and Recommendations
05-Nov-2021
On September 29, the Kazakh-Georgian Economic Union, with the support of PMC Research Center, held a meeting assessing the importance and prospects with respect to Kazakh tourists visiting Georgia. A hybrid event brought together representatives of the public and private sector engaged in tourism, while other people interested in the sector’s development also attended in an online format.
Enhancing Agribusiness Clustering to Boost Georgia’s Sustainable Economic Development
02-Apr-2021
PMC Research recently finished a diagnostic study of two clusters of two regions of Georgia - the processing and preservation of fruits and vegetables cluster in Guria, and the poultry cluster in Kvemo Kartli - in order to contribute to their development and promotion, which is beneficial for the private sector’s enhancement, as it can boost productivity and advance innovation.
Project in Racha Sets Ground for Full Local Youth Engagement
23-Mar-2021
Recently, we completed a project entitled Supporting an Inclusive Youth Policy by Establishing Sustainable Youth Platforms and Promoting Non-formal Education in Racha, in the course of which we established the Youth Assembly in the Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti region of Georgia, which conducts various activities dedicated to providing youth with opportunities, experiences, and the necessary theoretical and practical skills and competencies to support their full and successful integration into society. Such efforts were designed to enable them to become involved in decision-making processes at the local level through civic engagement mechanisms.
Sharing the Results of Our Research on Georgia’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Readiness
16-Mar-2021
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming a part of our everyday lives, offering tremendous benefits for societies in terms of public governance, business development. and healthcare. However, it also raises some important economic, legal, and ethical questions. Hence, while governments have to create an AI-friendly eco-system, attract AI investors, boost the development of AI technologies, increase the industrial application of AI and, therefore, enhance AI-generated economic and social welfare overall, they should also elaborate policy frameworks to balance AI-associated risks that might be related to personal data protection, targeting, algorithmic discrimination, cybersecurity, and/or AI liability.
ADBI Publishes PMC Research Paper on SME Finance in Georgia
01-Feb-2021
The Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) recently included a paper by PMC Research on the status of SME finance in Georgia as one of the chapters of its publication entitled “Leveraging SME Finance through Value Chains in CAREC Landlocked Countries”.
Presenting the Shortfalls of Deliberative Democracy in Mestia Municipality
22-Dec-2020
On December 17, PMC Research conducted an online presentation of a research report entitled “Shortfalls of Deliberative Democracy in Rural Georgia: Analysis of the General Assembly of a Settlement in Mestia Municipality,” prepared by PMC Research as part of the project “Public Policy Discourse and Dialogue Platform” project, with the support of PMCG.
Diagnosing Two Clusters of Two Regions of Georgia to Support Business Sophistication
08-Nov-2020
PMC Research is studying the current situation in two clusters - the processing and preservation of fruits and vegetables cluster in Guria, and the poultry cluster in Kvemo Kartli - to analyze current business operations, to develop a cluster map and, finally, to elaborate both short-term objectives and a long-term vision for the development of the clusters.
Assessing digital learning readiness in Georgia’s public sector
06-Nov-2020
In response to the Civil Service Bureau’s initiative to create a unified online learning platform for civil servants, PMC Research is starting a new project under UNDP’s “Supporting Public Administration Reform of Georgia” program to assess the digital learning readiness of civil servants in Georgia. The research team will employ a mixed-method research design, integrating quantitative and qualitative methods to identify potential challenges posed by the shift to online learning and then preparing relevant recommendations.
Georgia’s Economic Growth: Identifying Industry-related Challenges and Opportunities
27-Oct-2020
We recently started a new project, which aims at conducting value chain analytics of selected industries (tourism, creative industries, light manufacturing, and shared intellectual services) of Georgia. The main goal of the activity is to understand recent developments, tendencies, and needs, which together serve as a basis for the decision-making processes of the relevant public bodies and will, in turn, strengthen the economic potential of each targeted value chain.
Evaluation to Enhance Future Implementation of LEADER Approach in Georgia
25-Oct-2020
We recently started evaluating a project entitled “Promoting Citizen Engagement for Economic Development (PROCEED)” aimed at addressing the challenges associated with poverty and unemployment in Dedoplistskaro municipality in the Kakheti region of Georgia and enhancing the wellbeing of its population through applying the LEADER/Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) methodology.
PMC Research Advancing Inclusive Youth Policy in Racha
01-Oct-2020
We recently established a sustainable youth platform in Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti to provide youth with opportunities, experiences and the necessary theoretical and practical skills and competencies to support their full and successful integration into society and, accordingly, to enable them to get involved in the decision-making processes at the local level through civic engagement mechanisms.
Identifying Mestia Municipality’s Community Needs to Support Rural Development
04-Apr-2020
We recently elaborated a new report entitled “High-Priority Community Problems in Mestia Municipality.”
The aims of the document are: to introduce forms of civic engagement within local self-governance processes serving citizens of the 16 communities of Mestia municipality; to enhance their capacity in local budget analysis; to enable them to distinguish between central and local government competences; and to improve the ways in which they overcome local challenges.
