The team "TerraTech" won the first place at Millennium Innovation Award in 2023 and the main prize - participation at US NASA Space Center University summer program. A mining robot and a smart uniform was created by the students to ensure a safe working environment for miners. The winning team, consisting of students from Tbilisi, Batumi, Zugdidi and Senaki schools, will travel to the USA in 2024 to attend the NASA Space Center University summer program.
The second-place winning team is "FSTF (From Seeable To Feelable") from Tbilisi Public School N199 who will attend iD Tech camp at Stanford University, USA with the funding from the Georgian Innovation and Technology Agency (GITA). The students created a portable device that translates printed texts into Braille in real time, thus making the texts more accessible to the blind.
The third-place winning team, "Optical Visionaries" will visit the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland with the funding from Liberty Bank. The team consisting of students from Tbilisi and Batumi schools, created a robot ophthalmologist. The device includes a mini-diagnostic mobile system that measures both perimeter and visual acuity.
The team „Halove" has been selected by the project partner, EPAM and its members will participate at a study tour in Lithuania.
"We have been organizing the Millennium Innovation Award (MIA) since 2013 with the financial support of the US Embassy. MIA competition significantly contributes to the promotion of science, technology, engineering and math disciplines among youth. Over 3,000 students have already participated, most of whom continue their studies in STEM disciplines. I would like to thank all our supporters and partners. With their support, the four teams that won the competition this year will participate in the best STEM programs in the USA and Europe," - said Magda Magradze, the CEO of Millennium Foundation.
The Millennium Innovation Award is supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Georgia.
Giorgi Amilakhvari, the Minister of Education and Science, addressed the audience and thanked the Millennium Foundation and the United States Embassy for supporting the development of STEM education in Georgia. He congratulated the representatives of the finalist teams on their success.
"In the modern digital and rapidly developing world, STEM education and its development are really important. Thus, the Ministry of Education and Science actively supports and will always support the development of this field in Georgia. We believe that STEM education is becoming one of the main priorities in the world today, on which the global economy will be based in the future. We always welcome such competitions and naturally, we will devote even more attention, investment and time to STEM education in Georgia", - said Giorgi Amilakhvari.
The Millennium Innovation Award was organized for the ninth time this year, with the support of the US Embassy in Georgia. "The US Embassy in Georgia has been supporting Millennium Innovation Award since 2014, which promotes STEM education and innovations among the Georgian youth. I am very proud of this initiative, and we are happy that every year, we are receiving almost equal number of applications from Tbilisi and regional schools of Georgia", - declared Mr. Alan S. Purcell, Charge D'Affaires, U.S. Embassy in Georgia.
Besides the main prizes, the special prizes were also awarded to the finalists' teams by the partner organizations: Kutaisi International University, National Astrophysical Observatory, the National Intellectual Property Center of Georgia - Sakpatenti, Geolab, Academy Letterato and allmarket.ge.
