Project News

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We gathered in Valencia for our final LISS24 Project -consortium meeting.

In late October, we gathered in Valencia for our final Learn-Innovate-Sell-Succeed (LISS24) -Project -consortium meeting. Our Erasmus+ project, coordinated by Turku University of Applied Sciences, has brought B2B sales and innovation education into practice at universities in Armenia and Georgia: six Sales Labs, new courses, sales and innovation competitions, and stronger university–business cooperation. For me, the relationships built through this work are just as important. Thank you for sharing your expertise, challenging our thinking and turning plans into teaching and learning. A special thank you to our hosts Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) Elena De la Poza and Ruijing Wang for welcoming us to beautiful Valencia! Warm thanks to our partner teams: Armenia: National Polytechnic University of Armenia, Armenian National Agrarian University and National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia. Georgia: Georgian Technical University, Akaki Tsereteli State University and Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University. And of course to our European colleagues at Fachhochschule Wiener Neustadt and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. A personal thank you to Ruben Aghgashyan, Lida Aghajanyan, Lilit Ghazaryan, Varazdat Hovhannisyan, Tatevik Yedoyan PHD, PMP®, Gizo Partskhaladze, Boris Gitolendia, Eduard Demetrashvili, Giorgi Mikiashvili, Luka Kemoklidze, Huaan Fan, Alexander Eigner, Pedro Fuentes, Gabriel Songel, our external evaluator Francis Ries and all the others I can not tag here :). And, of course, thank you also to my Turku UAS colleagues Timo Holopainen, Pinja Palm, Harri Lappalainen and Taru Kankaanpää for their work throughout the project. In Valencia workshop, we looked ahead to future collaboration and focused on f.ex. how the methods, competitions and Sales Labs can continue to serve students and our partners beyond the funding period. Like Timo loves to say: This is not the end. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. It has been a pleasure working with you. ♥️ hashtag#LISS24 hashtag#ErasmusPlus hashtag#B2BSales hashtag#SalesEducation hashtag#TurkuUAS **Arto Kuuluvainen** PhD (Econ.) | Research Group Leader

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Every good story eventually comes to an end

but every ending also opens the door to new beginnings. Together with my colleagues, I had the pleasure of participating in the final conference of the Erasmus+ CBHE Learn-Innovate-Sell-Succeed (LISS24) -Project , hosted by the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) Valencia, Spain. The project focused on strengthening innovation and sales competencies at universities in Georgia and Armenia. I am grateful to have been part of this journey and proud of what we have achieved together. Through our collaboration, we have contributed to meaningful results and valuable outcomes for our students and home universities - Georgian Technical University. Although the LISS24 project is coming to an end, the ideas, connections, and initiatives developed along the way will continue. The network we have built creates new opportunities, inspires further collaboration, and motivates us to take the next steps together. A sincere thank you to our hosts in Valencia, especially Vice-Rector Elena De la Poza, Gabriel Songel and Ruijing Wang. Huge thanks to our project coordinator Arto Kuuluvainen, to my friend and a truly great person Harri Lappalainen, for their dedication, support, and excellent organization of the project. Special thanks to Dr. Timo Holopainen for encouraging us throughout the different phases of the project. My gratitude also goes to all our Georgian and Armenian colleagues from the consortium member universities for their collaboration, support, and valuable contributions throughout the project. Finally, I would like to thank my colleagues at Georgian Technical University and my faculty for their commitment, hard work, and active participation throughout the project activities. I truly believe this is not a goodbye, but the beginning of new opportunities and collaborations. I look forward to staying connected, working together, and creating something new! Thank you all for this wonderful experience! #ErasmusPlus #LISS24 #HigherEducation #InternationalCooperation #Innovation #Georgia #Armenia #GTU #Sales **Boris Gitolendia**

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Final consortium meeting in Valencia – celebrating achievements and looking ahead!

On 27–29 October, the Erasmus+ LISS24 consortium gathered at Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) for its final project meeting. Partners from 10 universities across six countries reviewed the results, discussed sustainability and explored future collaboration opportunities. 🎯 Key achievements of LISS24: ✅ 11 new and 2 updated B2B sales and innovation courses ✅ 6 Sales Laboratories established at partner universities in Armenia and Georgia ✅ National and international student competitions, innovative teaching methods and stronger university–business collaboration ✅ New research, publications and international partnerships The discussions in Valencia focused not only on what has been achieved, but also on what will continue after the project ends: the use of Sales Laboratories, integration of new courses into curricula, business collaboration and joint research initiatives. 🙏 Special thanks to our hosts Elena De la Poza and Ruijing Wang at UPV for the warm welcome, and to Timo Holopainen for facilitating discussions on future project ideas! 👏 A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to LISS24, including for example our project coordinator Arto Kuuluvainen, Pinja Palm, Harri Lappalainen, Alexander Eigner, Huaan Fan, Ruben Aghgashyan, Lilit Ghazaryan, Varazdat Hovhannisyan, Irina Vanyan, Gizo Partskhaladze, Boris Gitolendia, Tatevik Yedoyan PHD, PMP®, Gabriel Songel and everyone of our great partners! Our appreciation also goes to external evaluator Francis Ries. Our international consortium: 🇫🇮 Turku University of Applied Sciences (Coordinator) 🇪🇸 Universitat Politècnica de València 🇦🇹 University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt 🇸🇪 KTH Royal Institute of Technology 🇦🇲 National Polytechnic University of Armenia 🇦🇲 Armenian National Agrarian University 🇦🇲 National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia 🇬🇪 Akaki Tsereteli State University 🇬🇪 Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University 🇬🇪 Georgian Technical University With final reporting still underway, LISS24 is approaching its conclusion – but the knowledge, connections and collaboration will carry on! 🤝 If you want to know more about the project, please check our website (the link in comments)! 🇪🇺 Co-funded by the European Union through Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (Project 101128310). #LISS24 #ErasmusPlus #CapacityBuilding #HigherEducation #B2BSales #InternationalCollaboration

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From Georgia to Valencia: Celebrating Collaboration, Innovation and the LISS24 Journey

Next week, we will welcome our Learn-Innovate-Sell-Succeed (LISS24) -Project partners to #Valencia for the project’s final #consortium #meeting. As we look forward to meeting again, it is also a great moment to look back on our inspiring visit to #Georgia in May this year. From 18 to 22 May, partners in Learn-Innovate-Sell-Succeed (LISS24) -Project visited Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi. Through #workshops, #project discussions and an #innovation competition, we shared experiences and learned from each other. Together, we explored how to students to turn university knowledge and #creative ideas into opportunities for #innovation, #sales and #entrepreneurship, while strengthening #university–business #cooperation. A heartfelt thank you to our three partner universities in Georgia— Georgian Technical University(GTU), Akaki Tsereteli State University (ATSU) and Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University (BSU)—for their warm welcome and excellent organisation. Each visit helped us better understand one another’s work and further strengthened UPV’s #international #cooperation with our partner universities. Special thanks to Dr. Gabriel Songel from Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) for sharing his valuable experience in innovation and entrepreneurship in the design sector, and for serving as a judge at the #Eastern #Partnership #Innovation #Competition, held at GTU. His insights and the exchange of creative ideas during the competition were highlights of the visit. From #Georgia in May to #Valencia next week, we look forward to coming together again to share the results of LISS24 and explore #future #opportunities for #international #collaboration. The partner universities are: Turku University of Applied Sciences (#Finland) University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt (#Austria) KTH Royal Institute of Technology (#Sweden) Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) (#Spain) National Polytechnic University of Armenia (NPUA) National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia Armenian National Agrarian University Georgian Technical University Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University Akaki Tsereteli State University #LISS24 #ErasmusPlus #UPV #InternationalCooperation #Innovation #Entrepreneurship #UniversityBusinessCooperation #

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🌍 Georgian Technical University at the First International Student B2B Sales Competition in Yerevan

We are proud to share that a student team from the Faculty of Transport Systems and Mechanical Engineering at Georgian Technical University (GTU) successfully participated in the first Student B2B Sales Competition of the Eastern Partnership countries, hosted by the National Polytechnic University of Armenia (NPUA) within the framework of the Erasmus+ CBHE LISS24 – Learn • Innovate • Sell • Succeed project. Representing GTU were Associate Professor Tamar Rukhadze and students Nika Goglidze, Zura Vatitadze, and David Jalagonia, who demonstrated their knowledge, teamwork, and sales competencies. The competition provided students with a unique opportunity to apply their skills in realistic B2B sales scenarios, strengthen their communication and negotiation abilities, and gain valuable international experience. As part of the LISS24 project, Georgian Technical University has also established Georgia’s first Sales Laboratory, equipped with modern technologies and supported by a fully renovated workspace. The laboratory serves as an innovative platform connecting academia and industry by fostering practical education, applied research, and stronger university–business collaboration. International initiatives like LISS24 empower students with the confidence, skills, and global perspective needed to thrive in today’s rapidly evolving business environment while reinforcing the role of universities as drivers of innovation and entrepreneurship. 👏 Congratulations to our students and academic staff for representing Georgian Technical University on the international stage! #GeorgianTechnicalUniversity #GTU hashtag#LISS24 #ErasmusPlus #CBHE #B2BSales #Innovation #EngineeringEducation #HigherEducation #InternationalCooperation #StudentSuccess #Entrepreneurship #SalesEducation https://www.gtu.edu.ge/en/gtu-team-participated-in-the-first-student-b2b-sales-competition-of-the-eastern-partnership-countries-in-yerevan/