Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University (BSU) has become the first university in Georgia to join the Children’s Rights European Academic Network (CREAN), one of Europe’s leading academic networks dedicated to the promotion of children’s rights. Batumi State University submitted its application for membership in April 2025.

The University’s admission to the network was officially announced on 6 June 2025 during the international conference “The Role of Academia in Promoting Children’s Rights,” held in Patras, Greece. In her opening address, Roberta Ruggiero, Coordinator of CREAN, formally welcomed Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University to the network and highlighted that Batumi State University is the first Georgian university to become a member of this prestigious academic community.

CREAN brings together more than thirty leading European universities that collaborate in the fields of children’s rights education, research, and academic development, fostering interdisciplinary cooperation and the exchange of knowledge and best practices.

The conference was organized by the UNICEF Office in Greece. The Batumi State University delegation consisted of Professor Lela Turmanidze, Dean of the Faculty of Exact Sciences and Education; Professor Lela Tavdgiridze, Head of the Batumi State University Children’s Rights Centre; and Assistant Professors Maia Bolkvadze and Giorgi Katamadze. The delegation was personally congratulated on this significant achievement by Ghassan Khalil, UNICEF Representative in Greece and Honorary Doctor of Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University; Levan Beridze, Ambassador of Georgia to Greece; and Roberta Ruggiero, Coordinator of CREAN, all of whom expressed their support and wished the University continued success in its future endeavors.

Batumi State University’s membership in CREAN represents a significant milestone in the University’s internationalization strategy and its integration into the European academic community. It also reinforces the University’s commitment to advancing children’s rights through high-quality education, research, and international collaboration. This achievement reflects the growing international recognition of Batum State University’s contributions to the field and provides new opportunities for academic cooperation, knowledge exchange, and the promotion of children’s rights both nationally and internationally.