Research Development Strategy/ Brief overview of the scheduled scientific research projects

Scheduled research projects in transformation, development and implementation of digital economics in Georgia are developed and carried out  at the university.  The key research problem is divided into several areas, namely:

• AI-based digital teaching at high schools. The aim of the research is to identify the opportunities of using AI-based technological platform as an innovative teaching model and the tools of educational quality enhancement.

• Pilot studies involving 33 students of Business and Technology University have been carried out. The study results have been strategically analyzed and are ready to be presented at an international scientific conference, the report has been written and the article has been accepted to be published. Based on the results of the pilot study, a large -scale research is being planned in order to implement the technological platform in different educational courses. Furthermore, the study on the efficiency of teaching and comparative financial analysis is carried out.

• A research was planned and carried out to measure the renewable energy potential in Georgia. The research results demonstrated the extent to which renewable energy resources are utilized for the purposes of achieving economic progress. The research results have already been published in foreign scientific edition “Journal of Environmental Science and Renewable Resources”, under the title “Renewable Energy Potential and Its Utilization in Georgia”.   A monograph “Methodological and Conceptual Basis for Energy Development in Georgia” has also been published.  The aim of the book is to present the results of the research and the possible ways of solving problems to the interested society. The research results will be presented at an international scientific conference.  The thesis has been accepted and the article has been accepted for publication.

• A research project was planned on the following topic: the study of the structure and the trends  in the energy balance of Georgia.

• The research, which aims to study and analyze key performance indicators of Georgian railway holding, was planned and implemented. It also aims to identify the causal links between railway cargo sensitivity and the economic growth of the country. The key problem of the research was to correlate railway EVA and the economy of Georgia and create a cargo sensitivity relationship between the CAGR model.   The research identified the causal links between the railway cargo sensitivity and the economic growth of the country. The result of the research was published in international edition “International Journal of Business and Management”, under the title “Development of Railway Silk Road as a Platform for Promoting Georgia’s Economic Growth”.

• The first stage of the research was followed by the second stage. The aim was to do statistical analysis of additional value created by the railway industry in the years 2006-2019  and identify the correlation between the general indicators of JSC Georgian Railway, study the factors affecting them, and do a comparative analysis of financial indicators of Georgian Railway in Post-Soviet countries. The results of the research were published in foreign research edition “International Journal of Business and Management” under the title Statistical and Financial Analysis of Georgian Railway`s Main Performance Indicators in 2006-2019.

• The research, the aim of which was to determine the readiness of the entrepreneurial market to meet 4.0 requirements of the industrial revolution, was planned and conducted. The situation in small and medium-sized companies has been studied. The relevant conclusions have been drawn and ways of solution to ensure the economic welfare of the country have been found. The results have been sent and accepted to be presented at an international conference, the article has been accepted for publication.

• The researches have been planned and carried out for the academic programs “Business administration (Management)”, “Business Administration (Finance)”, “Information Technologies”. The aim of the researches was to identify effective teaching methods for non-major courses, such as “Academic Writing” and “Research Methods”. A comparative analysis of using teaching methods was done within the framework of the research. As a result, ways of engaging students, mastering the subject, developing research skills, and enhancing teaching effectiveness have been identified. The research results have been submitted to two different international scientific conferences, the reports for the conferences are ready and the articles have been accepted for publication.

• For the strategic development of the university library, research based on the needs of local students has been carried out. Based on the experience of foreign universities, a development strategy has been devised for the university library, which includes the ways of introducing modern technologies and digitalization of printed materials. The results have been submitted to the international scientific conference, the report for the conference is ready and the article has been accepted for publication.

• The university has become the only educational institution in the region whose students have been involved in NASA’s global space exploration project and started to work on integrating virtual and augmented reality in education. The project involves space exploration, solution of technical and technological issues, in which the specialists and students of Business and Technology University will be involved together with the world’s leading specialists.   The university specialists are already being trained in technical issues of the project. According to the project, preliminary design work for the exploration of Mars will be implemented, which includes the creation of the concept of a unified infrastructure for 1 000 000 people. With the help of HP, the university has started preparing technical spaces, where design work will be carried out.

• With the technical support of HP and the involvement of Georgian specialists, Business and Technology University has started working on AI project.  Having got familiar with the work already implemented by the university specialists, World’s leading data processing companies Splunk and Qlik took an interest in the project. The integration of Big Data with AI creates an unprecedented analytical machine, which can accept, process, and analyze big data in the shortest period of time. The project is carried out with the involvement of the students of Business and technology.

• The research interest of the university embraces the following areas: digital entrepreneurship, digital economics, and innovative technologies used in business. An entrepreneurship centre has been established at the university, which in collaboration with Henley Centre for Entrepreneurship studies the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Georgia.

• A research project “ IX Millennium” has been launched. Within the framework of this project National Museum of Georgia, BTU and Microsoft will carry out research to cultivate Georgian vine varieties in space conditions and implement relevant technologies. The science project received a large international response and researches for its further development are being carried out currently.

• In partnership with HP, BTU has been involved in the NASA-initiated space exploration global science project. Within this project, academic staff and students have developed a concept of “Education for the Future” and tools for integrating artificial intelligence and virtual reality in education. While working on the project, the specialists created the first Georgian Artificial Intelligence “Digital Mind”, which makes the educational process more accessible, fast, and convenient.

• The university has initiated the “Digital Silk Road” project, which aims to create, research, and develop a single e-commerce portal among the member countries. Academic staff and students of BTU, technical group, Microsoft, and the Ministry of Finance of Georgia are involved in the project and it is divided into several stages.