TUMO Labs has kicked off its collaboration with academic institutions in Armenia. On December 6th, stakeholders in higher education and government gathered at the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies in Yerevan to learn more about TUMO Labs and opportunities for collaboration. TUMO Labs is an initiative of the EU TUMO Convergence Center for Engineering and Applied Science funded by the European Union in partnership with TUMO and the French University in Armenia. The program is a pioneering component of the Convergence Center project that brings together academia and industry to create hands-on, market-relevant learning experiences for university students and young professionals.
Attendees included Arevik Anapiosyan, deputy minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport for the Republic of Armenia, Stanislav Toshkov, cooperation officer for the EU Delegation to Armenia, Pegor Papazian, chief development officer at TUMO, Jean-Marc Lavest, rector of the French University in Armenia (UFAR), and representatives of Yerevan State University, Russian Armenian University, National Polytechnic University, National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, Armenian State University of Economics, American University of Armenia, Armenian National Engineering Laboratories (ANEL), Armenian National Agrarian University, and the A. Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory.
During the meeting, attendees discussed future areas of cooperation between TUMO Labs and local academic institutions. They observed an ongoing TUMO Labs project, in which computer science students from UFAR are working with 10x Engineering, a software and hardware developer, to design an automated climate control system.
“TUMO Labs is the heart of the EU TUMO Convergence Center,” said Pegor Papazian, chief development officer at the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies. “Its success depends on how well it fits into the local academic and tech community, and how much value it adds to that community through international linkages, innovative projects and leading edge educational initiatives.”
“TUMO Labs is a great opportunity for students and universities. Participants will gain valuable research skills through hands-on, project-based learning experiences,” said Arevik Anapiosyan, deputy minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport for the Republic of Armenia. “Additionally, the EU TUMO hub will provide local universities and stakeholders with a shared space to exchange ideas and share resources.”
“My expectations for this program are very high,” said Karen Keryan, head of the Yerevan State University Masters Program in Applied Statistics and Data Science. “Effective partnerships between the private sector and academia stand to benefit all parties, particularly our students, by raising the bar on what they can achieve.”
TUMO Labs will officially launch its programming in January 2020 with a call for applications. The program is open to young people in Armenia ages 18 and up.
The EU TUMO Convergence Center is an initiative of the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies funded by the European Union. A mixed-use campus fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, it links local students, researchers and technologists to each other and their global peers. The Convergence Center includes teaching and training facilities such as TUMO Labs and UFAR’s computer science and mathematics faculty, as well as a conference center, public retail outlets and businesses.