A technology hub, which authorities call a new center for regional innovation, has officially opened in the former Parliament building of Georgia in Kutaisi. During the opening, the building's facade was transformed into a platform for a large-scale 3D show with hundreds of drones, and the presentation itself, according to media reports, cost the budget more than half a million lari.
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated that the building, which was previously associated with a past political era, has now received a new purpose and will become a platform for the development of knowledge and technology. Approximately $8.3 million was allocated for the reconstruction of the facility. The hub will include the country's largest technopark, a science and technology museum, laboratories for robotics, artificial intelligence, drones, virtual reality, and 3D prototyping, as well as spaces for startups and IT companies.
The Kutaisi International University will also be part of the project's ecosystem. Authorities expect that the combination of an educational base, research infrastructure, and an international airport will allow Kutaisi to be transformed not only into a national but also a regional technology center. However, it is still unknown which foreign companies will be the first to start operations in the new hub and what part of the infrastructure is already fully ready.