The ECI project is designed to assist Georgia to achieve energy security and a properly-functioning energy sector. An important component of the ECI program relates to the education and training of Georgia’s energy sector professionals.

To improve the capacity of the energy sector by increasing the quality of the workforce ECI is implementing scholarship programs.

The Scholarship program was established to encourage individuals working in, or interested in working in, Georgia’s energy sector by awarding scholarships to further education in the field. To date the project has awarded a total of over $300,000 in funds for use by 3 outstanding students to pursue their graduate studies in the US:

Nana Gurgenidze - Master of Science in Energy Management, New York institute of Technology, New York.

Mikheil Zibzibadze - Master of Science in Management of Technology, University of Minnesota, Technological Leadership Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Marina Arabidze - Master of Science in Environmental Studies with Energy Analysis &Policy Certificate, University of Wisconsin, the Nelson Institute, Madison, Wisconsin

ECI received 74 applications for this US based program and the selection committee evaluated them on the basis of the applicants’ academic excellence, written statement of purpose and other qualification. After GRE/GMAT and TOEFL testing, top nominees were designated and selected for the program.

One of the applicants wrote in his statement of purpose: “I believe I can become an active contributor to my county’s development process. Identification of correct development directions is essential for young democracies especially in Post-Soviet Space. Georgia needs to learn how to achieve these goals and I feel the best way of promoting this process is sharing and learning from western best practices”- and this is, after all, ECI’s primary aim for this program element.

ECI scholarship recipients show awareness and dedication to the improvement of Energy Environments. They highly recognize the value of the ECI Scholarship Program and the importance of its role in contributing to the development of future leaders.

To date, those who received the scholarships are already attending selected Universities. In their own voices, they share what the scholarship has meant to them.

Congratulations!
2009 Scholarship Award Recipients

Marina Arabidze:  “My name is Marina Arabidze and I am attending the Environment and Resources Program of the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies of the University of Wisconsin (UW) through ECI Energy Scholarship Program. My primary focus is energy and apart from Master’s Degree I am also perusing Energy Analysis and Policy Certificate.

It’s only been a month since I’m in the USA and it’s my third week of classes, but I have to say that this time has already been a truly unique experience for me both from personal and from academic point of views. Living abroad in a different environment is not new for me, but the experience gained in the US has been truly special. ECI made a perfect choice by selecting UW for me.  Graduate school and student life here is fascinating. Even though it is a very big University with over 40 000 students, after several weeks here you already feel like you’re at home. The most important thing is the quality of education and variety resources available. I should say that my program is truly exceptional due to its flexible and multi disciplinarily nature. Courses offered here perfectly match my research interest. For the first semester, I am mainly concentrating on renewable energy sources, energy analysis and policy and how these things evolve with the increasing concern about to climate change. Our library system provides access to all the latest publications and houses a huge collection of books. There are seminars and workshops aimed at assisting the students throughout their careers. Professors and staff are all extremely helpful and competent.

ECI has provided a lifetime opportunity for me with this scholarship and I am highly confident these years in UW will be an enormous contribution to my future progress”.

Mikheil Zibadze wrote:  “Currently I am studying in the US at University of Minnesota, pursuing my Master of Science degree in Management of Technology (MOT). MOT is an accelerated, interdisciplinary program for experienced technology-based professionals, with at least 5 years of work experience, seeking to increase their leadership capabilities in business, management, and advanced technology issues.

As a discipline, management of technology focuses on business, technology, engineering, policy, law, and science issues. The University of Minnesota’s MOT program views technological innovation as a crucial driver of corporate growth. It includes general business topics plus unique topics, which provide a competitive advantage to individuals who seek increased leadership opportunities in a technology-intensive business environment.
It is my privilege to be here and be instructed by the world class instructional team members from business, law, engineering, science and public affairs fields. Classroom interactions with experienced, talented professionals make MOT program a truly exceptional experience. I am positive that the program fully meets my career needs and will pay off in multitude ways.

From New York, Nana Gurgenidze had this to say:   “I work as Head of International Relations and Investment Department at the Ministry of Energy of Georgia. As one of the ECI scholarship program winners, I am working on my Masters’ Degree in Energy Management at the school of Engineering and Computer science of New York Institute of Technology. My major of Energy Management is relatively new as the issue of efficient use of energy resources has been taken into agenda quite recently. According to my professor of Energy Management Dr. Robert Amundsen, in 5 years New York City solely will need around 5,000 professionals in energy management which means that this field is growing fast in US and, of course, in other parts of the world. This opens wide horizons for me in my career for facilitating the development of energy management field in Georgia. 
 I want to express my appreciation to USAID-funded ECI program that has provided a lot of opportunities to the participants as well as the organizations we work for to continue our professional development, broaden horizons and learn advanced technologies, approaches and “lessons learned” from similar experiences in other countries. The Program is designed in a way that the organizations we work for will be not only compensated for the time of absence of the employee but will benefit from it by getting back highly qualified employees. Therefore, it is the point of paramount importance that program has selected the scholarship candidates who have already been involved in the process of sector development and will directly contribute to the Georgian energy sector”.

The ECI Program is committed to assisting Georgian students pursuing academic goals. The program goal is to serve as a vehicle for knowledge sharing and capacity building in the developing world. 

ECI, by providing support for scholarships and related activities, remains hopeful to empower these students to improve intellectual environments of their home communities and to, finally, assist Georgia to achieve properly-functioning energy sector.

The Georgian scholarship program will be coordinated with the four Universities who have been awarded energy management masters degree program/concentration development grants. Announcements for these opportunities will be made in cooperation with the individual University by the end of fall 2009.