News

Dear Professor Doborjginidze,

we are writing to express our strong and continuous support for the long-standing partnership between our institutions. Since 2017, when Ilia State University (ISU) was elevated to degree-awarding status within the CEERES Consortium, our cooperation has deepened significantly. Today, we are proud to award a joint degree (together with the University of Tartu) and a double degree with ISU within the framework of our International Master’s Programme in Central and East European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (the CEERES programme).

ISU has consistently provided invaluable academic expertise, not only in the field of South Caucasus studies but also in Russian studies. This breadth and depth of regional knowledge greatly enriches the CEERES curriculum and strengthens the Consortium as a whole. We deeply appreciate ISU’s contribution to the intellectual rigour and distinctiveness of the programme.
Importantly, it is not only the partner institutions that value ISU as a degree-awarding partner - our students do as well. Since 2017, a total of 39 CEERES students have chosen to spend their second year at ISU. While the average number of students going to Georgia per cohort is five, in line with the limit currently set by the Ordinance of the Government of Georgia, the CEERES programme itself has never imposed caps on our second-year mobility destinations. From experience, we know that student interest varies from year to year, and flexibility is essential to maintaining the academic integrity and appeal of the programme.

This variability is clearly reflected in past cohorts. For instance, six students from the 2020–22 cohort selected ISU as their second-year destination, whereas interest increased substantially the very next year, with 12 students from the 2021–23 cohort choosing to study at ISU. These patterns demonstrate both the sustained and, at times, sharply rising attractiveness of ISU among CEERES students - an interest that could not have been accommodated had rigid caps been in place.
As we await the European Commission’s decision on the extension of programme funding for the next six years, we are confident that ISU will remain one of the most desirable mobility destinations for our students. In light of this, we would be very grateful if ISU could consider relaxing the newly imposed cap, thereby ensuring that student demand can continue to be met in a flexible and academically meaningful manner.

We greatly value our partnership with ISU and look forward to continuing to strengthen our cooperation in the years to come.

Yours sincerely,
Dr Anna Dekalchuk
CEERES Programme Director
Professor Luca Anceschi
CEES Subject Group Lead
School of Social & Political Sciences | College of Social Sciences | University of Glasgow
Southpark Avenue | University of Glasgow | G12 8LE
The University of Glasgow, charity number SC00440
Tuesday 17th February 2026