Tumo Center for Creative Technologies

TUMO Center for Creative Technologies
Թումո Ստեղծարար Տեխնոլոգիաների Կենտրոն
TypePrivate institution
Established2011
FoundersSam Simonian
Sylva Simonian
DirectorMarie Lou Papazian
Location,
40°11′47.5″N 44°28′48.4″E / 40.196528°N 44.480111°E / 40.196528; 44.480111
AffiliationsSimonian Educational Foundation
Websitewww.tumo.org

The TUMO Center for Creative Technologies (Armenian: Թումո ստեղծարար տեխնոլոգիաների կենտրոն) is a free-of-charge education program for teenagers aged 12–18 specializing in technology and design, with education being provided at various TUMO centers and hubs.

The first TUMO center opened in Yerevan, Armenia in 2011. There are currently six TUMO centers in Armenia. These are located in Yerevan, Dilijan, Gyumri, Koghb, Kapan, Yeghegnadzor. Until 2023, there used to be one TUMO center in Artsakh in Stepanakert with six TUMO boxes operating in neighboring towns. Nine additional centers exist outside of Armenia in Paris, Beirut, Tirana, Berlin, Lyon, Kyiv, Mannheim, Coimbra, and Lisbon. Plans for new centers and TUMO Boxes both in Armenia and abroad (Los Angeles, Takasaki, Buenos Aires, Amsterdam, and many other cities are currently under development). In 2021, TUMO announced the 60 million dollar TUMO Armenia campaign to bring 16 TUMO Hubs and 110 TUMO Boxes to Armenia.

In 2017, TUMO Studios, a non-profit outfit that provides a creative space for several different types of artistic design, from pottery, jewelry-making, and fashion to cooking and embroidery, was launched. TUMO Studios is geared towards young professionals from the ages of 16–28.

On February 19, 2018, at the World Congress on Information Technology conference in Hyderabad, India, TUMO received the "Implementation of the Digital Century" award.

In 2019, TUMO announced plans for TUMO Box, a mobile, technically equipped mini-center. Boxes can be installed in any city or village and serve as self-study areas for local youth. TUMO Boxes are open in Gavar, Berd, Vayk, Sevan, Kapan, and Martakert. Plans are in the works for TUMO Box programs in other towns and villages.

2019 also saw the launch of the EU TUMO Convergence Center for Engineering and Applied Sciences. The center will be located adjacent to TUMO's Yerevan campus on a 25,000 square meter space, serving as a hub for research, education, and startups. The EU TUMO Convergence Center will be a hub for research, education, and startups geared towards university students and young professionals. The center will bring together partners, both local and international, to bridge the gap between higher education and industry in Armenia. The center's flagship project, TUMO Labs, was launched in 2020 and includes a guided self-learning program, projects-based learning program, incubation program, and the Armenian branch of the French 42 school, 42 Yerevan.

TUMO received the 2019 Europe Nostra Award in Education, Training and Outreach. The award is routinely given to organizations and individuals who make significant contributions in the areas of conservation, research and dedicated service.