On July 2-3, 2015 a kickoff meeting of the project “Supporting Sustainable Mountain Development in the Caucasus (Sustainable Caucasus)” was held in Tbilisi, Georgia. The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation under the SCOPES Program and it aims to support the scientific institutions that have created a Scientific Network for the Caucasus Mountain Region (SNC-mt) in their efforts to contribute to the structural development and modernization of research and teaching, increase their attractiveness and international competitiveness by improving basic overall conditions, and link research outcomes to development practice.