The Process of Research Internationalization in the Georgian Higher Education System and Its Impact on Research Productivity
Author : David Sikharulidze, Kakhaber Lazarashvili, Vasil Kikutadze, Tamta Lekishvili, Elene Zurabishvili 12/06/2026
The aim of this study is to examine the factors determining the internationalization of research and to assess its impact on research productivity. The study employs a cross sectional survey methodology and includes data from 332 members of academic staff at Georgian universities. Ordinal logistic regression and Hayes’ PROCESS Model 4 were used for the mediation analysis.
The results identify five statistically significant predictors of research internationalization. Professional contacts with foreign researchers emerged as the strongest factor, followed by access to international grants, education obtained abroad, research skills, and institutional support provided by universities. The model explains 33.7% of the variance in international research collaboration. Mediation analysis indicates that international co authorship and engagement in research activities conducted in foreign languages play a significant mediating role in the relationship between research skills, grant availability, and research productivity. Specifically, the effect of grant availability on productivity is mediated almost entirely through international research activities, with an indirect effect accounting for 87% of the total effect. These findings contribute to the theoretical framework of research internationalization in post-Soviet higher education systems and offer evidence-based guidance for policymakers seeking to enhance academic research capacity through targeted international engagement strategies.
Keywords: Research internationalization, International collaboration, Research productivity, Higher education.
Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.55367/GYQB1939