Georgia has opened a new technology hub in Kutaisi, transforming the former parliament building into what officials say is the country's largest innovation and startup facility.
The Technohub, operated by Georgia's Innovation and Technology Agency (GITA), was officially opened on 24 July by Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze and Economy Minister Mariam Kvrivishvili. The opening ceremony featured a drone display and was attended by government officials, diplomats, local authorities and representatives of the Georgian Patriarchate.
The building had stood largely vacant since parliament returned to Tbilisi in 2019. Kobakhidze said the site, once "a symbol of corruption under the previous government", would now serve as "a regional centre of knowledge, innovation and technological development".
The facility brings together several elements of Georgia's technology and education strategy under one roof. It includes the country's largest technopark, an interactive science and technology museum, an artificial intelligence computing centre, startup workspaces, and laboratories dedicated to robotics, electronics, drones and 3D printing.
It also houses a branch of TUMO, an international education programme for school-age children focused on creative technologies, which currently operates in more than 20 countries.
Speaking at the opening, Kvrivishvili said the goal was for Georgia to become not only a consumer of new technology but also a country that develops it. She said Kutaisi was chosen because of the city's recent development, highlighting its international airport and Kutaisi International University as key assets that would support the hub.
Once fully operational, the hub is expected to host a continuous programme of startup incubators, pre-accelerators, hackathons, innovation camps and training courses for participants of all ages from across Georgia and the wider region, rather than Kutaisi alone.
The Kutaisi hub is the latest stage in a technopark programme that GITA has been developing since 2014. Nine technoparks already operate across Georgia, providing support for entrepreneurs developing early-stage business ideas. Since 2018, the agency has reported investing around $14 million in approximately 240 startups.
Officials have presented the Kutaisi project as a regional initiative since it was first announced. In February 2025, Deputy Economy Minister Irakli Nadareishvili described the site as significant "not solely for Georgia, but for the wider region", citing both its scale and the range of functions it brings together under one roof.
Although the Kutaisi hub is not directly linked to the initiative, Georgia has also been pursuing a longer-term ambition to position itself as a digital connectivity hub between Europe and Asia. Under its National Broadband Development Strategy, the government has identified the creation of a digital hub and the development of submarine digital connectivity between the EU and Asia as strategic priorities.
Georgia already offers tax incentives designed to attract IT companies, including zero corporate tax and no VAT for businesses operating under its Virtual Zone status, as well as reduced tax rates for foreign companies that qualify for International Company Status.
Whether the Kutaisi hub significantly strengthens Georgia's position as a regional technology centre will ultimately depend on how many startups and companies choose to establish themselves there once the facility is fully operational.
Read more from Georgia:
Baku Climate Action Week (BCAW) 2026 has begun in Azerbaijan’s capital, bringing together government representatives, business leaders, inves...
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has plunged to its lowest level since May following a sharp escalation in attacks on tankers by U.S. and Iran...
Bangladesh’s dengue outbreak is accelerating, with 42,590 people hospitalised and 117 deaths recorded this year as a sharp September surge pu...
An eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Anak Krakatau has disrupted air travel, school activities and fishing operations, with hundreds of passengers stranded at Jakarta’s main airport on Sunday.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday that the United States must recognise that the “rules of the game” in its war against Iran had changed “before it is too late”, a day after Washington struck several Iranian tankers in the Gulf.
At least five people were killed and five others injured when an Amazon Prime Air cargo plane overran a runway and crashed while landing at Miami International Airport on Sunday, 6 September, local officials said.
Two Greek military pilots were killed on Saturday when an F-4 Phantom fighter jet crashed during an air show at Tanagra air base, north of Athens, officials said.
U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have arrived in Moscow for peace talks on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, two people familiar with the matter said. They were met by Russian Presidential Envoy Kirill Dmitriev.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the dismantling of unauthorised settler outposts in the West Bank, according to people familiar with the decision, as pressure from Washington grows for Israel to curb violence by settlers against Palestinians.
Israeli strikes killed four people, including two women, in southern Lebanon on Sunday, the Lebanese Health Ministry said, as Israel said it was retaliating for two Hezbollah drone attacks targeting its soldiers.
A unique architectural monument dating back to the 9th to 12th centuries has been discovered in the village of Gargara, in the Korez village commune in Dangara district in Tajikistan.
Japan and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime have launched a $9.4 million, two-year project across five Afghan provinces to help former poppy-growing families and expand drug prevention and treatment services.
For centuries, Lahore has been shaped by the people, cultures and empires that passed through it. Now, the Pakistani city is preparing to put that rich history before a wider regional audience.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment