By decision of the General Assembly of ORPHEUS (Organisation for PhD Education in Biomedicine and Health Sciences in the European System), Professor Ekaterine Kldiashvili, Vice Rector for Research at Petre Shotadze Tbilisi Medical Academy (TMA), has been elected as a member of the ORPHEUS Executive Committee. The election took place during the ORPHEUS 2026 Annual Conference and General Assembly, held on 26-28 May at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary.

As part of the election process, Professor Kldiashvili, together with the other Executive Committee candidates, presented to the General Assembly a proposal entitled “Doctoral Research Trust and Visibility: A Proposed Framework to Support ORPHEUS’s Mission.” The concept aims to develop a practical framework for enhancing the visibility, evaluation, and trustworthiness of doctoral research.

The key aspects of the proposed framework include:

• Strengthening approaches to scientific supervision and objective assessment of doctoral research

• Emphasizing the ethical use of artificial intelligence, standards of research and academic integrity, principles of open science, and the societal relevance of research

A particularly innovative aspect of the proposal is its emphasis on assessing doctoral research quality not only through scientific outcomes, but also through the processes and standards by which those outcomes are achieved.

Within the framework of the scientific programme of the conference, Professor Kldiashvili also delivered a presentation entitled “Supervision as Quality Assurance of Doctoral Research in the Era of Artificial Intelligence.” The presentation was prepared in co-authorship with Associate Professor Maia Zarnadze and Ana Mamiseishvili.

The presentation highlighted the importance of scientific supervision not only for the objective evaluation of doctoral research outcomes but also for shaping the doctoral candidate as an independent researcher and ensuring that the research process adheres to the standards of academic integrity. Special emphasis was placed on the ethical application of artificial intelligence and the societal significance of research.

What is ORPHEUS?

ORPHEUS (Organisation for PhD Education in Biomedicine and Health Sciences in the European System) is a European organization that brings together universities and higher education institutions in the fields of medicine and biomedicine that are committed to advancing the quality of doctoral education and research. The organization develops international standards, promotes the sharing of best practices, and strengthens international collaboration in doctoral education.

This important international recognition provides TMA with an opportunity to contribute to the development of European policies and standards in doctoral education and to increase the visibility of Georgian research and higher education within the European academic community. Moreover, it creates new opportunities for international partnerships and collaborative research initiatives. It also supports the continued enhancement of the quality of doctoral education in Georgia.