Assistance provided by a donor or a foreign government in the form of technology, as well as the sharing of specialized knowledge, skills, expertise, and “other forms of assistance,” will be considered a grant

Technical assistance provided by an international donor organization or a foreign government — in the form of technologies, as well as the sharing of specialized knowledge, skills, expertise, and “other types of assistance” — will be considered a grant. Additionally, the list of sectors eligible for grant funding will be expanded to include defense and security.

These revisions are part of the latest proposed amendments to the Law on Grants, which will be presented to Parliament today for a second reading and article-by-article discussion.

In the updated version of the bill, the list of eligible grant-making donors has been modified to include “any other international organization.” This means that funds provided by any international organization will now be legally recognized as grants.

According to the revised draft law, the legal basis for awarding a grant will include both a written agreement between the donor and the recipient, and a written decision issued by the foreign donor.

The Law on Grants will also be amended to state that grants issued under the EU’s research and innovation program “Horizon Europe” and the EU’s “Erasmus+” program will no longer require approval from the Georgian government.

According to a decision by Georgian Dream, a law is currently in effect in Georgia that requires approval from the government or an authorized person/body designated by the government for any grant to be issued. Receiving a grant without such approval is prohibited. Oversight of unauthorized grant issuance and receipt has been assigned to the Anti-Corruption Bureau.