Paata Turava: TU Munich no longer engaged at Kutaisi International University

According to Paata Turava, the Acting Vice Rector of Kutaisi State University, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) is no longer part of Bidzina Ivanishvili's flagship project. Ivanishvili had committed to spend up to $1 billion on the start-up university, located in its own leafy campus just outside Georgia's second largest city.

Paata Turava on the official KIU website.

Turava has made these remarks to several friends and colleagues around Tbilisi State University, where he is listed as a Professor of Administrative Law. Colleagues also say that Turava has expressed frustration about the working conditions at Kutaisi International University.

This frustration may reflect ongoing problems. One of Turava's predecessors, Giorgi Khubua, had left his position in the KIU leadership within a few months of taking up the post in July 2024. KIU has been characterized with a high churn in key personnel. Other figures prominent in the field of education have joined and left KIU in recent years. Turva's title at the institution repeatedly changed also.

It is not known when TU Munich withdrew its cooperation. Remarkably, TU Munich remains listed prominently on the KIU homepage, suggesting to applicants and partners that the institution remains a valued partner. TUM is also listed as one of four major links on the website, suggesting it provides quality assurance at KIU.

TU Munich is considered one of Germany's most prestigious technical universities.

The website lists senior German academics of its International Advisory Council. Whether these continue to serve in their position is also not known. Next to the TUM and the Advisory Council, there is a strong German link in that Paata Turava and Giorgi Khubua both hold doctorates in law from German universities. Paata Turava is the brother of Merab Turava, a prominent legal figure in Georgia, see here.

Attention to this issue comes in part as KIU has scheduled the launch of programs in Astrolinguistics, an undertaking that has no academic standing. Combining mystic numerology with a sweeping assertions of Georgians holding secret knowledge, its lead proponent, Aliko Tsintsadze, claims that Georgia is the source of most major civilizations, including having invented the Egyptian calendar. The hosting of such a research center is widely seen as undermining the basic integrity of the institution. Scientific principles and minimum governance do not seem to function if a fabulistic subject is given academic standing. As a personal project of Bidzina Ivanishvili, and with the academic patronage of German academics, KIU is exempt from accreditation. The support for this "quackery" comes at a time when well-established programs at other institutions throughout the country are forced to close.

At least, according to Turava's circles, it appears that the Technical University Munich has concluded that it will no longer be part of Ivanishvili's private venture. This change is yet to be reflected on the KIU website.