The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, the Environmental Information and Education Centre and the Faculty of Transportation Systems and Mechanical Engineering of the Georgian Technical University announce a competition for students “Youth for Ozone”.

What we aim to achieve

The competition aims to highlight the significance of the ozone layer for human health and life on Earth, as well as modern technologies that help in its protection amid climate change. In addition, the competition addresses the shortage of qualified specialists in refrigeration, heat pumps and air conditioning in Georgia.

Contest themes

• Modern technologies in refrigeration, heat pumps and air conditioning systems
• Energy-efficient heating and cooling systems
• Response to the challenge - protection of the ozone layer and climate change

Who can participate

Participants in the competition must meet the following criteria:

1. As of September 10, 2024, a participant must be enrolled as a vocational school, undergraduate, Master's, or postgraduate student at an authorised educational institution registered in Georgia.
2. The presenter must be the author of the paper. There can be a maximum of two non-student co-authors.
3. To register for the competition, please visit the link: https://forms.gle/FMVD5PGszJKagz4X7.

Formatting Guidelines

• Should not exceed 30 pages in length (excluding charts and annexes)
• Font: Sylfaen, size: 11
• The paper format must be Word and/or PDF

Selection criteria:

• A thorough analysis of the challenge
• Addressing the topic of the reduction of ozone-depleting substances and fluorinated greenhouse gas emissions in Georgia
• Level of innovation demonstrated
• Integration of gender perspectives
• Grammatical accuracy 

Contest Evaluation Board

The Contest Evaluation Board will consist of representatives from the following organizations: UNDP (2), Georgian Technical University (2), Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture (2), and Georgian Association of Refrigerating, Cryogenic and Air-conditioning Engineers (GARCAE) (2).

The Board will select the best three papers. The authors of these papers will receive hardware store vouchers as follows: 1st place - 1500 GEL; 2nd place - 1300 GEL; 3rd place - 1000 GEL.

Award Ceremony

The winning authors will receive awards at the student conference scheduled for 4 October 2024. 

The conference will take place in the Technical University of Georgia (Building 1, 68, Merab Kostava Street, Tbilisi). All participating students will be invited to attend the event.

How to take part

The papers can be submitted from 1 June to 10 September 2024 at: Ugrekhelidzeirine05@gtu.ge and lali.tevzadze@undp.org

For additional inquiries, please contact: 

• Irina Ugrekhelidze, Georgian Technical University, 551 97 03 01, Ugrekhelidzeirine05@gtu.ge
• Lali Tevzadze, Project Manager, UNDP, 557 73 69 19, lali.tevzadze@undp.org