The Institute of Addiction Studies was founded in 2013 with a mission to strengthen the country’s capacity for adopting evidence-based approaches to dealing with addiction problems. The Institute closely collaborates with the leading institutions within and outside the country, to ensure proper monitoring of drug situation and conduct related studies. Among those institutions are:  The Charles University First Medical Faculty Department of Addictology, University of Hamburg Center for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research, Ben Gurion University Regional Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Center, International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, Georgian non-governmental resource-organizations: Alternative Georgia and The Foundation Global Initiative on Psychiatry – Tbilisi, Interagency Coordination Council for Combatting Drug Addiction, etc.

The main objectives of the Institute are to:

• Provide reliable data regarding drug use in the country based on respective studies and monitoring in coordination with appropriate agencies;
• Contribute to the development of institutional mechanisms for training current and future practitioners through the Master’s Programme in Addiction Studies and short-term training courses;
• Encourage national and international collaboration by initiating, obtaining funding for and implementing multi-subject projects.