The governing body of the Abastumani Observatory will be its Scientific Council
Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia Nunu Mitskevich held a meeting with the administration and scientific staff of the Evgeny Kharadze Abastumani Astrophysical Observatory. During the meeting, the parties discussed the process of transforming the observatory into a Legal Entity of Public Law (LEPL), which is being carried out through communication and agreement with all scientific staff.
At the beginning of the meeting, the Deputy Minister emphasized that the Ministry's policy is to promote the further development of the Abastumani Observatory as a scientific institution of global significance, to enhance its quality, and to strengthen its integration into the global international scientific space.
According to Nunu Mitskevich, the transition into a Legal Entity of Public Law will increase the degree of autonomy of the Abastumani Observatory. The Ministry's mission during the reorganization process is to facilitate the establishment of the observatory's main governing body – the Scientific Council, which will be a body with the highest legitimacy and autonomy, responsible for the subsequent development of the observatory. The Scientific Council will define the niche and role of the Abastumani Observatory on a global scale, serving as the basis for its technical equipment, modernization, and development in the academic direction. Furthermore, the Council will lead all processes aimed at the infrastructural development of the Abastumani Observatory.
Nunu Mitskevich noted that, based on the approved staffing schedule, competitions will be announced in the first stage to select principal research scientists. The competition commission will be staffed by highly trusted professional scientists who will ensure that the competition is conducted transparently and objectively.
As a Legal Entity of Public Law under the Ministry, the Abastumani Observatory will become accessible to all higher education institutions, scientific organizations, scientists, and young researchers at both local and international levels. Based on relevant memorandums, universities will have the opportunity to utilize the observatory's resources in their educational processes.
At the end of the meeting, Nunu Mitskevich also emphasized that the development of the observatory will serve as a best practice example that other research institutions will also share.
The Evgeny Kharadze Abastumani Astrophysical Observatory is renowned worldwide, and continuous scientific research and astronomical observations have been conducted on its basis for over 80 years.
