On March 15, 2024, IDFI, with the financial support of USAID National Governance Program, launched the bachelor course of the spring semester of the Certification Program in Fighting Corruption. The course, entitled "Corruption, Money and Politics" is led by Levan Natroshvili, who is the Deputy Executive Director of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED). 

The course "Corruption, Money and Politics" will cover such topics as the essence and types of political corruption; political finance; Elections, public resources and voter bribery; political lobbying; Open data or public information - concepts, differences, purpose; Identifying corruption risks in politics through open data and public information.

IDFI began the implementation of the Certification Program in Fighting Corruption in 2019, in cooperation with Ilia State University. In recent years, about 200 participants have completed the program. With the continuation of the certification program during the 2024 academic year, with the support of the USAID National Governance Program, IDFI offers additional opportunities to members of the program's alumni network and to young people interested in public policy issues. IDFI representative and Program Coordinator Teona Turashvili spoke regarding these additional opportunities during the course opening. In particular, within the framework of the new initiative, young researchers and professionals will have the opportunity to participate in the contest of policy papers to produce evidence-based policy papers and recommendations on various public policy issues, within the framework of which open lectures, online trainings, and consultation/mentorship sessions will be held. Authors of outstanding policy papers will have the opportunity to present their analytical papers to representatives of public institutions, receive a paid fellowship, and/or participate in a planned Winter School on Good Governance.

The mentioned activities are planned as part of the new project - Empowering Youth for Evidence-Based Policy-Making, which aims to empower youth, students, and young professionals in becoming active contributors to the policy-making process through capacity building, sharing practical experience/best practices, and providing a wide-range of opportunities to prepare and communicate evidence-based analyses and recommendations.