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Implementation of the stipend program is only possible through an announcement of a competition.

A. The competition announcement process implies:

• Adoption of the stipend program and the announcement of the competition by legal entity International Education Center via the website IEC.GOV.GE;
• Informing the public and the guarantee of accessibility to the program by the Center;
• The filling out of an electronic application by interested individuals and the uploading of the appropriate documentation (including those compiled in English) onto the integrated electronic registration system on the Center’s official website https://app.iec.gov.ge/;
• Announcement of winner according to the rules established by the Center and the competition commission within their competencies after the passing of the competition deadline;
• Write up of a contract and financial guarantee with winning entrants;
• Monitoring of fulfilled obligations by the financed individuals through the Center.

 

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A decision is made regarding various issues related to the announcement of a winner and the course of the competition by the competition commission. The make up and authority of the commission is confirmed by the Center’s acting director. Evaluation criteria and evaluation forms for the entrants will be written up and confirmed by the competition commission.

The evaluation of an electronic application and the accompanying documentation is carried out by the competition commission through an electronic system. The maximum score is 100 points (with an added bonus). Therefore:

• A maximum of 50 points when evaluating the e-application;
• A maximum of 50 points when scoring the interview;
• A maximum of 4 bonus points (for competitors having the status of a socially unprotected, handicapped, or forcefully displaced person, as well as competitors who have suffered in villages located at the borders of Georgia’s occupied territories), one point per status.

 

The competition takes place in three stages:

Stage 1 - Administrative (formal) approval of electronic application and corresponding documentation. Incomplete applications will not be considered. The Center is authorized to request that an applicant clarify their submitted documentation. Administrative (formal) approval of electronic application and corresponding documentation is carried out by the Center’s Office of Academic Programs and International Projects.

Stage 2 - An in-depth evaluation of electronic application. In the case of earning an appropriate score on the basis of an in-depth evaluation of the e-application and accompanying documentation, the entrant goes on to stage 3 if it has thus been established. An entrant can earn a maximum of 50 points during stage 2.

Stage 3 - Interview. An entrant can earn a maximum of 50 points at this stage.

In the case of a entrant being abroad, the interview will take place via a video call.

 

 

 

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Competition Rules

1. Is a Georgian citizen in possession of a neutral ID and/or travel document;

2. Has registered in a doctoral program at a foreign university and has an official document confirming unconditional enrollment (aside from any financial and/or administrative conditions; in the case of a student finishing up with a Masters degree, aside from any financial or administrative conditions and/or a condition of submitting a document confirming the bestowment of a Masters degree and/or an evaluation document);

3. Has earned a Masters degree. Final grades: a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, a minimum of very good (81-90) in case of a 100 point system, a minimum of a B or corresponding grade in the case of a different system;

4. Or is studying in the final year for a Masters degree. Grade average of last academic semesters: Final grades: a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, a minimum of very good (81-90) in case of a 100 point system, a minimum of a B or corresponding grade in the case of a different system;

5. Or studies at a foreign university in a Masters program with a prioritized course of study and is requesting financing for the following academic year (with a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, a minimum of very good (81-90) in case of a 100 point system, a minimum of a B or corresponding grade in the case of a different system for the past academic year and/or semester. If there is no grading system in use, then an official evaluation of completed academic work planned for the past academic year/semester);

6. Has two years of work experience (including apprenticeship, being a trainee, research activity).

 

Documents to be Submitted

1. A copy of personal ID/passport/neutral ID and/or neutral travel document;

2. CV/Resume;

3. Research Plan. Also a document confirming approval of research plan or approval process with corresponding foreign university/professor;

4. A plan/project for collaborating with an appropriate university in Georgia. Also a document confirming approval of collaboration plan/project with university or confirming approval process with the corresponding university/university representative;

5. A letter of unconditional enrollment in a doctoral program at a foreign institute of higher education (aside from any financial and/or administrative conditions; in the case of a student finishing a Masters degree, aside from any financial and/or administrative conditions, and/or the condition of submitting a document confirming bestowment of Masters degree and/or evaluation document);

6. A Masters diploma/information regarding the bestowment of a Masters degree and an addendum to the diploma/grade sheet indicating the final grade;

7. A student finishing their Masters degree must submit a notice concerning their status and an evaluation page of the past semesters indicating the GPA;

8. In the case of a request for financial assistance for a second or subsequent year in a foreign doctoral program there must be a notice of the student’s status and a grade sheet of the past academic years/semesters indicating the GPA. If there is no point system, then an official evaluation of planned academic work completed during the past academic year/semester;

9. In the case of a diploma addendum/grade sheet not indicating the GPA, there must be a notice from the institute regarding the GPA. Honors students or those entrants having a similar diploma are exempt from submitting this document;

10. A document regarding cost of study;

11. In the case of a request for compensation of living expenses - the amount of funds requested;

12. One recommendation (the recommendation takes place through the reference indicated by the entrant on the application on the Center’s electronic registration system with a questionnaire that is automatically sent to the email address of the reference);

13. Official document(s) confirming work experience (information indicating length of time worked);

14. Information regarding works, research, and publications as well as copies of certificates (if they exist);

15. A document confirming status as a socially vulnerable, handicapped, and/or forcefully displaced person, or status of a victim in villages located on the border with Georgian occupied territories (if it exists).

 

When filling out an application on the electronic registration system, information must be submitted in Georgian. Uploaded documents can also be submitted in English. Documents compiled in any other foreign language will be examined in Georgian with a translation certified by a notary service.

The Center and the competition committee have the authority to double check the accurateness of the information submitted by an entrant on the application at any time and in the case of incorrectly submitted information and/or the discovery of plagiarism, the application will be withdrawn from the competition.

 

 

 

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High academic achievement is the basis for the consideration of financing for the next academic year (within the duration of 3 (+1) years) by the commission - a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, a minimum of very good (81-90) in case of a 100 point system, a minimum of a B or corresponding grade in the case of a different system. Additional conditions may be established per the directive of the Center’s acting director.

 

 

 

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A contract written up between the Center and the grant recipient regarding a grant is the grounds for the disbursement of the grant allotted within the framework of this stipend program. The rights and obligations of the parties, method of payment, etc. will be defined by this contract.

A contract regarding a grant with a winning student finishing up a Masters degree will be written up after the submission of an official document confirming the bestowment of a Masters degree and a document confirming the appropriate academic achievement. The failure to fulfill this condition represents the basis for the Center to refuse to write up a contract.

A person enrolled in a doctoral program at a foreign university requesting financing for the next academic year and who was unable to submit a final evaluation for the past academic year by the deadline will have a contract regarding a grant written up when there is a submission of the final grades of the past academic year ( a minimum of a 3.0 GPA, a minimum of very good (81-90) in case of a 100 point system, a minimum of a B or corresponding grade in the case of a different system). The failure to fulfill this condition represents the basis for the Center to refuse to write up a contract.

A basis for the Center’s refusal to write up a contract is also present if there exists a legally enforced guilty verdict issued by a court for a winner of the competition and/or if there is such a circumstance that is incompatible with the stipend program.

The Center takes up the obligation to carry out the monetary provision of the financed individual in the appropriate amount and with the payment method established by this program according to the decision of the commission.

 

The grant recipient is obligated to:

• Submit a document confirming the bestowment of a PhD degree following the conclusion of their studies;
• An individual in a corresponding educational program abroad must return to Georgia no later than one month after finishing their studies, remain in the country for three years, and be employed in Georgia in the appropriate field/institute;
• In the case of an offer by the Center, they may collaborate with an appropriate institute of higher education in Georgia in order to undertake academic work.

No more than one year after the conclusion of studies, a grant recipient can be given the right to remain abroad in order to gain work experience in the corresponding field/discipline. A decision to bestow this right is made at the discretion of the competition commission. With this objective, a grant recipient must submit a valid application and official document regarding employment. This will be reviewed as a carry-over of obligations to be fulfilled regarding employment and a calculation of the deadline to fulfill the obligations will begin at the very conclusion of the corresponding period.

An grant recipient does not have the right to request financial assistance for studying in a Masters or doctoral program abroad through this same stipend program or another one offered by the Center.

A grant recipient’s failure to fulfill the established obligations of this program gives rise to financial accountability. In the case of a contractual condition not being kept, the grant recipient is obligated to fully return the grant money according to the rule regarding the grant foreseen by the contract. Any other rights and obligations are regulated by a contract written up between the parties regarding the grant.

 

 

 

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A full or partial compensation of the cost of study and/or the costs associated with study and/or living in a corresponding country during the study period is implied by financing.

The funds allotted in the form of a grant through the commission’s decision are transferred to the financed individual according to the purposes:

• The cost of study at a foreign educational institute of higher learning, apart from a case if a different rule from the rule of international wire transfer in force at the Georgian Treasury is established at the institute.
• The funds allotted for the compensation of costs associated with living in a foreign country during the study period are deposited in the grant recipient’s personal bank account.

The fulfillment of the financial obligations foreseen by the program will be assured with allocations diverted to the Center under the Georgian law “Regarding the State Budget of Georgia in 2018”.

 

 

 

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The filling out of an electronic application and the uploading of the corresponding documentation by individuals interested in the competition takes place on the Center’s official website via an integrated electronic registration system https://app.iec.gov.ge/

The application and corresponding documentation (including the recommendation) must be uploaded onto the electronic registration system by 7:00 pm, May 25. This system closes at the end of the competition deadline and entrants will no longer be able to edit their application.

An electronic registration form provides an entrant the means to fill out the application in stages and/or change it before the competition deadline. After being edited, the application must be sent again before the competition deadline.

The timely and full submission of the application and corresponding documentation is the entrant’s responsibility. An incompletely submitted application will not be considered.

It is mandatory to upload every document, including those when taking into account the specifics established by the program, apart from those cases when it is indicated - if they exist.

In the case of some technical problem arising when filling out the application, please address the technical support group - http://iec.gov.ge/4166.

Entrants will be informed of the results of every stage of the competition via the electronic application submitted by them.

In order to communicate with entrants, the Center uses the email indicated on the application.