Since December of 2013, with the initiative of University of Westminster, Petre Shotadze Tbilisi Medical Academy, TMA, has been involved in the EU-funded international Tempus project - “The Development of a Curriculum and Establishment of a Regional Training Platform for Haematology in Life Sciences and Medicine”.

Within the project, TMA has partnered up with the following members of the consortium:

• University of Westminster (UoW) - United Kingdom
• University of Ferrara (UNIFE) - Italy
• University of Rome II ‘Tor Vergata’ (UNITOV) - Italy
• University of Murcia (UMU) - Spain
• Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU) - Georgia
• Iakob Gogebashvili Telavi State University (TESAU) - Georgia
• Yerevan State University (YSU) - Armenia
• Mkhitar Haratsi Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU) - Armenia
• Haematology Center after Prof. R.H. Yeolyan (HC) - Armenia
• Baku State University (BSU) - Azerbaijan
• Azerbaijan Medical University (AMU) - Azerbaijan

The objectives of the project are:

1. To modernise, restructure and customise haematology teaching for life sciences and medical degrees in the South Caucasian Universities (SCUs) based on ECTS;
2. To develop and prepare blended and e-learning teaching and assessment resources in haematology for life sciences and medical degrees at SCUs
3. To train SCU staff at EU universities in teaching modern haematology;  
4. To set up a Caucasian Regional Platform in Haematology (CARPH);
5. To exercise stringent quality control and management over project implementation; 
6. To disseminate the project outcomes applying strategies benefiting its further sustainability.

Within the project, TMA has reached the following results:

• Isolated clinical haematology as a separate teaching discipline and integrated clinical haematology in the curricula.
• Strengthened the teaching of haematology topics in various basic sciences, such as in Histology, Physiology and Pathology.
• Established an equipped haematology laboratory, based on up-to-date standards, located on the Academy site, where students at the pre-clinical stages can master the necessary knowledge and skills needed to learn clinical haematology on a higher level.
• Hosted a visit for the University of Westminster and other consortium members and reviewed the progress and results of the project.