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A major Horizon Europe project titled “Widening AI Research and Innovation for Excellence in the Eastern Partnership” (WARIE) was launched in Yerevan on Thursday.
The project aims to develop scientific capacity in Eastern Partnership countries, establish interdisciplinary artificial intelligence research excellence hubs and centers at leading universities in the region, and integrate them into the European Research Area through the development of digital infrastructure.
The project will bring together 13 research and higher education institutions from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Germany, France, Switzerland and Sweden, including Yerevan State University (YSU), Tbilisi State University (TSU) and the Technical University of Moldova (UTM).
Speaking at the launch event, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan said the project, submitted under the coordination of the Institute for Informatics and Automation Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, had secured funding following a highly competitive Horizon Europe call.
“With a budget of more than €4.2 million and a duration of four years, this project brings together 13 partner organizations. I consider it important that Yerevan State University is also participating on behalf of Armenia. This is further evidence that higher education, science and research together shape important values for our state and people. This project is one of the results of the consistent development of scientific and educational cooperation between Armenia and the European Union,” Andreasyan said.
The minister expressed hope that, by the end of the project, it would deliver not only leading research results but also stronger scientific institutions and long-term partnerships with leading European universities.
Ambassador Vassilis Maragos, head of the European Union Delegation to Armenia, also stressed that the project would help enhance the competitiveness of research institutions.
“This year, Armenia is hosting several very important events. Alongside this event, COP17 is taking place in Armenia, where issues concerning various sectors are being raised. Through this project, we can propose scientific solutions to address these challenges. I should also emphasize that, within the framework of EU-Armenia cooperation, we have placed particular emphasis on developing research institutions in high technology and identifying talent,” Maragos said.
Yerevan is becoming a city of scientific innovation, Georgia’s Ambassador to Armenia, George Sharvashidze, said.
“I am pleased that, by expanding research and innovation in artificial intelligence, we can build bridges between the research institutions of our countries. Georgia, Armenia and Moldova do not have large oil and gas resources, but our countries are rich in scientific and educational potential. Such projects will help us solve future challenges more quickly. It is very important that, in the future, many problems are solved through scientific means rather than political ones,” Sharvashidze said.
YSU Rector Hovhannes Hovhannisyan noted that the university’s participation in the project would not have been possible without the launch of a new supercomputer with exceptional computing power, acquired with funding from the Government of Armenia.
“The launch of this supercomputer will enable our scientific community to delve deeper into research in artificial intelligence. I am very pleased that we are implementing this project together with our partners from Georgia and Moldova. I would also like to emphasize the important support of our European partners. Implementing projects like this creates new connections and partnerships,” Hovhannisyan said.
The project will be funded entirely by the European Union.