RA Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports Zhanna Andreasyan had a meeting today with the partners from international organizations collaborating in the development and implementation of the “Academic City” program, who arrived in Armenia on a working visit from 29 - 31 January.

Chairman of the Higher Education and Science Committee Sargis Hayotsyan also attended the meeting.

Welcoming the international partners of the “Academic City” program, the Minister highlighted the significance of efficient cooperation at the next stage of implementation of one of the most priority programs of the RA Government – the “Academic City”.

“This is truly a massive project with various components that will require the engagement of all parties to fully accomplish the outlined goals. I am confident that our commitment, your expert support and the active participation of stakeholders - Armenian universities, research institutes, lecturers and students will contribute to the successful execution of the project,” said the Minister.

In terms of fostering the implementation of the project, the Minister also touched upon the key processes related to the implementation of the academic city - one of which is the development of an investment plan, the other is the amendment of legislation, for the implementation of which cooperation with international partners is also important.

According to Chairman of the Higher Education and Science Committee Sargis Hayotsyan, the stage of developing the final version of the master plan of the academic campus is currently underway, after which the master plan will be officially approved, and then work on the creation of physical infrastructure will begin. “We already have all the contracts with our partners,” added Sargis Hayotsyan.

The meeting was attended by Tobias Kahl, Deputy Director of the German architectural and engineering company gmp International GmbH Architects and Engineers, who developed the concept of the academic city master plan in 2024 and is currently responsible for the schematic design and coordination of the city master plan, and Georgeta Auktor, program coordinator of the Munich Technical University International (TUMint), responsible for the design of the technology cluster and the development of an innovation management model, Jochen Raben, CEO of the RSUP German company (Rabe Strategic Urban Planning), responsible for the development of the strategic framework for urban development, Diego Deponte, Director of the Italian “Systematica” company, responsible for the development of the transport mobility project.

The entire process will be coordinated by GMP, the Italian “Systematica” company, which will develop a model of internal mobility of the academic city and its relationship with the transport network of the Republic. The partners from the Technical University of Munich are developing a content creation process in the context of university expansion policy. Other partners will establish the city's concept, focusing on the functioning of its internal economy and household systems.

Tobias Kahl claims that the transition stage from idea to practical work is currently in progress, and the overall vision is on the right track: “At this point, the project will be worked on by engineers and turned into a reality, providing a strong basis for the process of taking an idea from conception to execution. Consequently, in the initial phase, we needed to comprehend the concept of an academic city, and this phase pertains to the execution of the academic city we envisage.”

According to Georgeta Auktor, program coordinator at the Technical University of Munich International (TUMint), their role in the “Academic City” program is to facilitate the process of unification and consolidation of universities. They will additionally address the development of a technological cluster, which aims to enhance the relationship between education and science, from which, as stated by Georgeta Auktor, the economy and industry, education and science will benefit even more. “The European experience also demonstrates that the pooling, expansion, and consolidation of resources provide a more successful management model for strengthening ties between education and industry,” she added.

Director of the Italian company “Systematica” Diego Deponte, responsible for the development of the transport mobility project, claimed that they will investigate all directions leading to the academic city, both external and internal, and build a strategy taking into consideration all circumstances. In this regard, he pointed out that the possibility of operating the railway will play a key role, as the heavy traffic of cars must be eased to ensure the movement of public transport to the academic city as much as possible.

Director of RSUP Jochen Raben added that the active involvement of various government agencies and local governments is the key to the successful implementation of the program.