The universities and business cooperation — a look from the caucasus countries

Historically, the Caucasus has always been the object of special interest of dominant international actors due to its favourable geographical location. Such interest continues today. Despite the difficulties in the region (internal conflicts, different economic and political environments), the Caucasus countries-Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan-are taking significant steps towards establishing close and solid relations with the European Union (EU), improving the economy, and improving politics. The purpose of this article is to analyse the elements of industry and science cooperation. The university and business cooperation is seen as a very complex field and an important component of the country’s innovative ecosystem which has long been the subject of research and analysis. The presented article provides for a study of the innovation ecosystem and its infrastructure in the countries of the Caucasus, and mechanisms for the development of the university and businessm cooperation (UBC) process, which is of particular importance for these countries, which are characterized by very low rates of innovation and competitiveness.