The Tech Buzz about Lori Continues, New Tech Centers to be Opened

This is a pretty exciting time for Lori because it will soon be the home of three technology and educational centers.

Yandex School at Vanadzor Technology Center

A school of programming at Vanadzor Technology Center opened on January 20, the Armenian Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF) said. This is a joint project by Yandex, a Russian multinational technology company specializing in Internet-related services and products, and EIF.

The Yandex School will offer a free course that will teach the basic programming skills through Python language. This twelve-month course is designed for nine and eleven graders who are interested in mathematics and IT. Classes will be held at Vanadzor Technology Center.

During the first six months of the course, students will learn the fundamentals of Pyhton. The second half of the course will be devoted to object-oriented programming. Students will theory into practice.

Prospective applicants need to pass a test and have an interview. The results of the first admission round were announced on December 19. 28 students were chosen out of 140 applicants. Classes will begin on January 21.

TUMO Center for Creative Technologies


Image credit: TUMO

Vanadzor will soon welcome TUMO Center for Creative Technologies. Following the success of this free after-school program, the Armenian Government suggested to open a branch in Vanadzor. The Simonian Foundation is implementing the project.

The center will be able to accommodate from 1000 to 2000 students, aged 12 to 18. TUMOians will focus on web development, game development, animation and filmmaking while studying complementary fields such as robotics, 3D modelling, photography, graphic design, music, drawing and more. The instructors will be leading professionals from both TUMO Yerevan center and abroad.

SMART Center in Lori


Image credit: COAF

Developed by COAF (Children of Armenia Fund), SMART Center will soon open in Lori. It has the aim of providing resources to the local community that does not have access to technology or good educational institutions by offering courses that cover different areas: technology, arts and music, linguistics and communication, environmental practices, health and lifestyle, business and civic education.

Since SMART is being built to serve thousands of children and families in more than 25 villages, COAF Smart Rooms are being established in villages within up to 30-40 driving minutes of the SMART Center. These rooms will enable connectivity during winter months when travel to the SMART Center may be extremely difficult due to inclement weather.

SMART Center will therefore create an instant bridge to the world for villages that have been isolated.