Yıldız Technical University (YTU), which is committed to developing socially aware information, individuals, and applications, is launching a new project aimed at strengthening university-industry collaboration. Developed in collaboration with the Faculty of Science Institute and YTU Technopark, the 'YTU-EN-TEZ' project aims to enhance the technology and R&D culture of the Turkish industry and increase its competitiveness in international markets. Additionally, it aims to commercialize academic knowledge through university-industry collaboration and support a greater number of master's and doctoral students with projects tailored to industry needs.
GOAL: A HIGHLY COMPETITIVE TURKEY
The 'YTU-EN-TEZ' project aims to address companies' R&D-based needs through university-industry collaboration and YTU's academic knowledge, contributing to the vision of "Turkey producing and selling its own technology, with a high level of competitiveness and welfare." The project will particularly meet the demands of small and medium-sized enterprises for advanced technology applications. Professor Dr. Tamer Yılmaz, Rector of Yıldız Technical University, emphasized the importance of this collaboration, stating, "The number of R&D units operating in Turkish industry, especially in SMEs, is significantly lower compared to developed countries. Furthermore, unlike developed countries, Turkey does not have private research institutions."
He further stated, "On the other hand, due to the lack of institutionalized university-industry collaboration, research infrastructure in universities cannot be adequately, widely, and efficiently utilized. Our goal is to strengthen university-industry collaboration in our country through this program, and to disseminate technology and R&D culture, bringing our industry to a competitive level in international markets. Therefore, we believe that this project will fill an important gap."
STUDENTS WILL PRODUCE FOR THE INDUSTRY
Professor Dr. Yılmaz continued, "Value-added outputs for industry will be generated through completed and ongoing master's/doctoral thesis studies conducted by YTU students. With the support of Yıldız Technology Transfer Office, which has significant experience in licensing, commercialization, and university-industry collaboration, communication with industrialists will be established, and efforts will be made to transform these thesis studies into value-added products."