On April 18, the official opening ceremony of the Fab Lab digital manufacturing laboratory was held at the Gyumri branch of the State Academy of Fine Arts of Armenia—a partner of RECONOMY’s “Digitizing Sectors for Competitiveness” project.
This initiative was launched as part of the AGBU Armenia “Katapult” Creative Accelerator Program, supported by the European Union in Armenia. The project was made possible through the collaboration of the “Fab Lab Armenia” Educational Foundation, the Gyumri branch of the State Academy of Fine Arts of Armenia, and the “Strategic Development Agency” (SDA) NGO.
The ceremony was attended by distinguished guests, including Gevorg Mantashyan, First Deputy Minister of High-Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia, and Daniel Danielyan, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia. Representatives from the EU Delegation to Armenia, AGBU Armenia, Fab Lab Armenia, and “Strategic Development Agency” NGO were also present and delivered opening remarks.
In his speech, Mher Sahakyan, Project Manager of RECONOMY’s “Digitizing Sectors for Competitiveness”, emphasized that the Fab Lab is more than just a digital innovation hub. It serves as a vital tool for enhancing the local innovation ecosystem, expanding employment opportunities, and promoting economic development and revitalization in the Shirak region and beyond.
As part of the RECONOMY’s “Digitizing Sectors for Competitiveness” project, the Strategic Development Agency NGO is partnering with Fab Lab Gyumri to expand its educational and production capabilities. The SDA supports the development and institutionalization of Fab Lab’s business model, aimed at empowering local specialists and entrepreneurs, stimulating economic growth, and generating new employment opportunities.
The objective of the Fab Lab platform is to bridge the digital and physical realms, enabling the reinvention and dissemination of digital manufacturing technologies. With its opening, the Gyumri Fab Lab joins both the Armenian Fab Lab network and a global community of over 3,000 digital fabrication labs.
RECONOMY is an inclusive and green economic development program of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), implemented by Helvetas in partnership with the Strategic Development Agency NGO and others in the Eastern Partnership and Western Balkan countries.