Vardan Urutyan ICARE Director International Center for Agribusiness Research and Education (ICARE) for Armenia 1

Armenia and Armenians. Industry and Products. Food products, jewelry, IT, else? Why Food and Agribusiness. about 20% of country GDP is agriculture, and 1/3 of populations involved in agriculture. Why Education. education can provide a substantial value-add to a seemingly low profit sector such as agriculture and food production. We do Agribusiness Education. 2

Vision: Develop sustainable knowledge capacity for Armenian food, agribusiness and other sectors through implementation of state-of-the-art education programs and research. Mission: Be an international center of excellence offering internationally competitive education programs and highest-quality research for the students to assume leadership roles in food, agribusiness and other industries. 3

The ICARE was established in 2005 in Yerevan, Armenia by Texas A&M University. The ICARE administers: Agribusiness Teaching Center – ATC Agribusiness Research Center - ARC ICARE Foundation EVN Wine Academy - EVN 4

We care for Armenia. 5 for Armenia. video link:

Agribusiness Teaching Center (ATC) Established in 2000 through collaborative effort of Armenian National Agrarian University (ANAU), Texas A&M University, and USDA Marketing Assistance Project. Educating professionals for Armenian food and agribusiness companies to: Strengthen capacities, Increase operational sophistication, Foster competitiveness 6

Developing Education Culture Contributing to development of education culture in Armenia through: innovative educational methods (videoconference classroom, modern curricula, comfortable classrooms, web resources), career counseling, creation of student-centered environment, facilitation of academia-industry dialogue, applying effective quality assurance mechanisms 7

Agribusiness Research Center - ARC Contributing to rural and agribusiness development in Armenia by providing industry-driven and donor-based research 20% of ATC student body are involved in ARC activities All graduate students involved in research while writing their thesis projects Over 2000 individuals trained through ARC projects (farmers instructors, TOT, etc.) EVN Wine Academy Offering academic education, as well as professional, vocational trainings, consultancy and research for Armenian wine industry Partnership with leading EU wine universities 2-year modern curriculum in Enology and Wine Business Local and International faculty 8

Scope for Development of ICARE: Contribute to application of STIP (science, technology, innovation and partnerships) in education programs and increase sophistication of Armenian agribusinesses. Develop new education programs (food safety, agronomy) to strengthen the Armenian agribusiness by well-educated professionals. Continue developing as a Center of Excellence to feed the Armenian education system with innovative knowledge and continue acting as a model institution. 9

Institutional Sustainability Campaign, Volunteers, ATC alumni, and the ICARE Board of Trustees together support the Foundation's strategic advancement initiatives and invite donors to learn more about giving opportunities to match their specific interests with the needs of ICARE. Strategic Contributions $5,000,000 Institution Naming Opportunity and Endowment Fund Key Contribution Key Endowments to Specific Education Programs $1,000,000 Master of Agribusiness Program $500,000 Undergraduate Agribusiness Program $500,000 EVN Wine Academy $1,000,000 Establishment of Food Science and Technology Program More information on Giving Opprtunities is available at: 10

Thank you! Address: 74 Teryan Street, 0009 Yerevan, Armenia Tel.: (37410) ; Fax: (37410) Vardan Urutyan, PhD Director, ICARE 11