History

Institute for European Studies (IES) was established at Tbilisi State University with the support of European Union through its local Delegation to Georgia under TACIS programme in 2007.  The idea was to launch the first interdisciplinary interfaculty English taught Master’s Programme in European Studies in South Caucasus region which was successfully accomplished with the involvement of EU professors from University Pierre Mendés France of Grenoble (France), Centre for Public Reforms of Insbruck (Austria) and Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences of Athens (Greece). The consortium members contributed much in implementing new student-centered teaching and learning methods, allowing the MAES to reach European quality standards in accordance to Bologna Process.

The programme was first time accredited by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia and in 2011 the MAES proved to be very attractive both for Georgian as well as international exchange /fully enrolled students.  Apart from this, IES as a focal point of brightest representatives of academia and society involved into EU-Georgia policy making process has taken the path of transformation into the centre of excellence paving the way towards elaboration and expansion of research activities through the process of establishment of interdisciplinary structured PhD program into European Studies under way again supported by EU under ENPI through EU Delegation to Georgia.
 
Institute for European Studies based on four faculties of Tbilisi State University - Faculty of Law, Faculty of Economics and Business, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences as well as Faculty of Humanities, had been provided with tremendous opportunity in outsourcing; being in partnership with Committee on European Integration of the Parliament of Georgia as well as with the circles of academia in country and abroad upgraded IES onto the new level of realization of ideas through various international and local projects.