I am writing in my personal academic capacity as a professor of biochemistry, Chair of the Education and Training Committee of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS), and Vice-Chair of the Turkish Biochemical Society responsible for international affairs.

Over the years, I have had the privilege of close collaboration with colleagues in Georgia and with Ilia State University in particular. Ilia State University hosted the first FEBS Education Ambassadors Meeting, bringing together 35 education leaders from across Europe followed with a two-day education workshop dedicated to advancing excellence in life-science education. The university’s engagement demonstrated its strong integration within European academic networks and its commitment to international standards.

Georgia’s efforts over the past two decades to align its higher-education system with the European Higher Education Area have been visible and respected within our scientific community. In this line, Ilia State University has actively contributed to regional and international scientific dialogue. Its leadership has participated in major international congresses, including delivering keynote lecture at our 28th International Biochemistry Congress in 2017, strengthening scholarly exchange between our academic communities.

I fully recognise that the design and reform of higher-education systems are sovereign responsibilities of national governments. Structural reform is often necessary and guided by national priorities. My intention in writing is not to comment on political processes, but to offer a professional academic perspective on the strategic importance of maintaining robust Master’s-level education in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry within Georgia.

Advanced training in molecular biosciences underpins biotechnology, translational medicine, pharmaceutical development, public health preparedness, and innovation-driven economic growth. Master’s programmes in these fields are not supplementary components of a university system; they represent the critical bridge between undergraduate education, doctoral formation, and research-intensive laboratories ensuring continuity in national research capacity. They sustain the human capital necessary for scientific competitiveness and innovation.

Where graduate education in these fields is structurally constrained, the effects are systemic: reduced doctoral pipelines, diminished participation in international research consortia, lower competitiveness within European funding frameworks, long-term weakening of scientific ecosystems and gradual erosion of national research capacity. Preserving meaningful institutional capacity to define and develop such programmes therefore directly supports Georgia’s scientific sustainability and international credibility.

Across Europe, institutional autonomy — balanced with accountability — has proven to be a foundational condition for innovation and academic excellence. International monitoring frameworks within the European Higher Education Area assess the protection of academic freedom and institutional autonomy as indicators of system quality and reliability.

Continued alignment with these principles strengthens international trust, cooperation and investment.

Türkiye and Georgia share longstanding cultural and academic ties and our scientific communities have benefited from constructive collaboration. It is in this spirit of mutual respect and regional partnership that I encourage careful consideration of how structural reforms may affect the sustainability of advanced training in the molecular life sciences and the continuity of Georgia’s research capacity.

Maintaining strong, internationally connected graduate programmes in these strategic disciplines will, I believe, support Georgia’s long-term scientific resilience, economic development, and global standing.