SUPPORTING YOUTH

In Isani district, a subject-based Olympiad was organized by the non-governmental organization Initiator, bringing together around 300 students.

The winners of the Olympiad - Nino Jalaghonia and Mariam Chechvadze - received a special gift from SOCAR: a two-week scholarship to the Barcelona Summer School.

Within the framework of the program, participants completed an intensive English language course, developed communication and teamwork skills, and established international friendships and cultural connections.

SOCAR continues to support youth on their educational journey.

Organized by the Georgian Innovation and Technology Agency (GITA), the Kaspi Tech Park hosted the demo day of the Energo Hack 2025 hackathon, where the winners were announced and awarded for presenting the best innovative startup ideas and prototypes in the energy sector.

The first place was awarded to the team EcoMetrics, which received a grant of 10,000 GEL from GITA. The team developed a game-style application that teaches users how to use electricity, gas, and water more efficiently through tips, challenges, and games, helping to reduce consumption by an average of 10–20%.

Hackathon partner SOCAR Georgia Petroleum also selected its own winning team and awarded them with a fuel voucher. SOCAR’s selected team was Energo Horse, which introduced an innovative IoT solution that transforms any standard, non-digital meter into a fully functional digital device. This approach is particularly important, as deploying traditional digital meters is associated with high costs. The Energo Horse module addresses this challenge by enabling existing meters to be converted into “smart” meters, significantly reducing expenses.

The hackathon’s primary goal was to identify problems in the energy sector and create innovative methods, technologies, and prototypes to address them.

Over the course of 38 hours, around 60 participants from different regions of Georgia worked intensively on their ideas and prototypes at Kaspi Tech Park. At the final stage, 23 projects were presented to a competent jury.

The project also aimed to encourage new business relationships between companies and innovators, foster the creation of startup ideas and prototypes with commercialization potential, promote innovative thinking and skills in the regions, and increase youth engagement in Georgia’s innovation and startup ecosystem.

Energo Hack 2025 brought together manufacturers in the energy sector, entrepreneurs, startups, students, and innovators interested in prototyping, engineering (particularly energy/electrical), programming, design, and technological entrepreneurship.

For the first time in history, Georgia’s youth softball national team competed at one of Europe’s most prestigious tournaments - the “Massimo Romeo” Cup, held in Italy.

The team opened the tournament with a victory, continued to fight with dignity in the following matches, and ultimately secured 12th place in the championship.

Supporting young athletes is one of the key pillars of SOCAR’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy. The company strongly believes that the future of Georgian sports is shaped by their achievements.

At the “Massimo Romeo” Cup, SOCAR stood as a supporter of the Georgian Baseball and Softball National Federation.

On November 20, the third annual Partnership Fair 2024 took place at the Pullman Hotel, organized by the UN Global Compact Network Georgia, with the support of the USAID Civil Engagement Program. The forum was attended by civil society organizations and private businesses.

SOCAR is a member of the United Nations Global Compact and one of the event’s sponsors.

During the forum, civil society organizations shared their ideas and discussed collaboration opportunities with businesses. Seven selected participants gave presentations, and business representatives immediately chose their favorites.

SOCAR's selected participants were Positive Virus and Helping Hand, who received partial funding for their planned projects.

Positive Virus is an organization that supports youth-oriented projects, primarily operating in Western Georgia. Their projects include promoting healthy lifestyles, educational initiatives, and supporting youth with disabilities.

Helping Hand is a volunteer platform that unites thousands of young volunteers, creating a sustainable platform to encourage volunteer activities in Georgia.

In 2023, SOCAR started partnering with Axel, a Georgian network of angel investors that connects businesses and investors.

Within the framework of collaboration, on December 21, Axel hosted the 31st edition of the year's highlight event, Fuckup Nights Tbilisi. Investors are also humans; on Fuckup, investors discussed the failures they encountered on their road to success.

On June 30, 2024, Axel, the Georgian Business Angel Network, hosted a large-scale international investment conference in Ciskari Garden in collaboration with EBAN (European Business Angel Network) and GBAN (Global Business Angel Network). The event was organized for the third time, which is extremely important for the growth of local entrepreneurs.

The collaboration between SOCAR Petroleum Georgia and Axel encompasses the growth of Georgia's startup ecosystem through a variety of projects and objectives. The SOCAR team actively supports both Axel and their startups. As a corporation with a strong social responsibility, SOCAR understands the necessity of promoting not only its team but also societal development.

On November 25, 2023, the "Campus Intellectual Championship" was conducted in the library of the Free and Agrarian University, with the first, second, and third place teams chosen from among the participating students. SOCAR provided overall sponsorship and assistance for the championship.

SOCAR promotes modern art. "Urban expression - in the creations of student sculptors" is an international exhibition of student sculptors held as part of the Sculpture Festival 2023, organized by the Tbilisi Architects and Sculptors Association and supported by SOCAR. The exhibition showcased sculptural sketches prepared for the event by students from the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts and the Azerbaijan State Academy of Fine Arts.

The event's goal was to present new ideas and contemporary creative and stylistic trends in urban sculpture. The research described young people's individual visions and attitudes about current cultural urban spaces.

An international jury chose the works, and SOCAR Georgia Petroleum awarded the four winners.

In 2023, Rustavi City Hall awarded 150 gold medal holders, including three, with a special gift developed by SOCAR: a vacation to the summer school in Barcelona.

SOCAR gifted electric scooters to three outstanding Rustavi students in 2024.

The 10th Social Entrepreneurship Forum, organized by the Alliance of Social Enterprises and supported by SOCAR, took place on November 18, 2021, at the Innovation and Technology Agency.

The forum has been hosted in Georgia since 2012, with the purpose of popularizing the concept of social entrepreneurship and creating an ecosystem that encourages its growth in Georgia. It facilitates the establishment and strengthening of business relationships between social entrepreneurs and representatives from various industries. The event is attended by social enterprises, public organizations, and governmental and private institutions dedicated to the advancement of social entrepreneurship.

The event's main highlight was the announcement of the year's social enterprise. The following social companies were chosen as finalists by the 7-member jury: "Poteria", "Megobari", and "Dadari".

The "Social Enterprise of the Year" nomination was won by the social enterprise "Dadari" through secret voting. It got the title of "Social Enterprise of the Year" as well as a financial prize from SOCAR for enterprise development.

In addition, SOCAR decided to give all other competitors the opportunity to enhance their industrial activities and granted a financial reward.

The event was organized in a hybrid style, with the speakers presenting in the space of the "Georgian Innovation and Technology Agency" and interested parties following the event via Zoom. 

Superhero is a platform dedicated to discovering superheroes and let them hear the voice of the children who need most and value their appearances the most.

As part of the partnership with the project superhero, SOCAR delivered the gifts of superheroes to the children.

On April 19-20-21, 2019, the representative of the UN Georgia Youth Office and the non-governmental organization "Football for Peace" conducted a three-day football festival with the cooperation of SOCAR Georgia Petroleum. The football event featured football teams made up of 12- to 14-year-old ethnic minorities from Georgia, including Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Turks, Ukrainians, and youths living along the occupation line.

It should be mentioned that, due to the festival's scale and purpose, the meetings were conducted on the central football pitch of Mejvriskhevi, a settlement along the occupation line. 

The event aimed to promote minorities' civic integration, sports, education, and culture, build good contacts between young people of different nationalities, and instill a sense of tolerance.

During the festival, teams of youth from various ethnicities competed in friendly matches over three days. Following the final meeting, the winner of the competition was announced, and received a transitional trophy and awards from the organizers.

Furthermore, during the event, cultural activities were held around the region on a prearranged timetable.

Supporting young people is one of the most essential aspects of SOCAR's CSR strategy, which is why the company has collaborated with Young Lions Georgia, held for creative industry employees under the age of 30, for a number of years.

Driving Academy is a driving school founded with the assistance of SOCAR. The driving school taught young people driving and road safety standards all year.

A car driving learning project was launched in March 2019 with the help of SOCAR Georgia Petroleum and the organization of Mevlud Meladze's "Driving Academy".

The project aimed to teach teens about driving and road safety rules in accordance with European standards. The training comprised of both theoretical and practical components. Throughout the year, students were divided into groups of five. The first part of the practical training was performed at "Art Drive" LLC's specially designed training area near the Dinamo stadium, while the second half was held on the autodrome and public roads.