📅 November 2–3, 2026 📍 Selcuk University, Konya 🏛️ Selçuk University Research Deanship

About the Workshop on Research Ecosystem and Governance in Higher Education

The fifth gathering of the academic platform strengthening University–Industry Collaboration

The Workshop on the Research Ecosystem and Governance in Higher Education will be held in Konya on November 2–3, 2026, hosted by the Selçuk University.

The workshop distributes the sub-themes of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) University-Industry Cooperation (ÜSİ) Action Plan across six panels/working sessions and a concluding decision-making session. Day 1 begins with an Opening Ceremony, followed by national and international sessions. Day 2 is dedicated to sectoral best practices and concludes with a decision-making session that will result in the "Konya Declaration."

The workshop aims to generate concrete and actionable policy recommendations by bringing together academics, policymakers, industry representatives, and international experts on a single platform.

🎯 Workshop Goal

To strengthen the research ecosystem in higher education and determine management strategies.

📋 Workshop Details

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Date November 2–3, 2026
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Venue Selçuk University, Konya
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Organizer Selçuk University Research Deanship

Workshop Sessions

Panel sessions exploring university–industry collaboration across six themes

00

Session 0 — Opening Remarks

* Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Yılmaz – Rector of Selçuk University
* Muhammet Kasım Gönüllü – Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology
01

Session 1 — University-Industry Cooperation Governance, Mission Differentiation, and Data-Based Monitoring · National

  • Coordination of BAP, TDZ, TTO and R&D processes under a single senior executive (ARDEK); consolidating interface units under one roof.
  • Appointment of counterpart UIC officers within chambers of industry and commerce; university–chamber matching mechanisms.
  • Mission differentiation: linking regional-development-oriented specialisation to UIC performance (the Konya case: agri-food, defence sub-industry, automotive clusters).
  • Monitoring UIC performance at provincial and university level; a standard indicator set covering joint projects, industry-partnered theses, IP and commercialisation revenues.
02

Session 2 — University-Industry Cooperation and New Opportunities in the Defense Industry · Sectoral

  • University–sector matching and joint technology roadmaps in critical technologies; opening projects in prime contractors' roadmaps to universities and the supply chain.
  • The SAHA Istanbul clustering model and its linkage to the ARDEK network; matching Konya's defence sub-industry cluster with the university.
  • SSB support mechanisms: SAYP (Researcher Training Programme for the Defence Industry), technology-acquisition obligations, and shared use of university laboratories and test infrastructures in defence projects.
  • University processes in security-classified projects: confidentiality, facility security clearance and IP sharing.
03

Session 3 — University-Industry Collaboration and New Opportunities in the Healthcare Sector · Sectoral

  • Industry-partnered Turkish consortia in Horizon Europe, EIT and COST mechanisms; Widening instruments; coordinator capacity.
  • Lessons from world ecosystem examples.
  • YÖK doctoral scholarships, TÜBİTAK 2244 Industrial PhD Programme and 2214 overseas research grants: current state, bottlenecks and internationally partnered use.
  • International joint doctorates (co-tutelle), MSCA Doctoral Networks / Industrial Doctorate models; the industrial-doctorate experience of European universities.
  • Attracting international doctoral students and post-doctoral researchers: Türkiye Scholarships, EURAXESS, joint graduate programmes with universities of the Organisation of Turkic States.
  • Turning industry design/production problems into graduate theses: a national thesis–project pool; industry advisory boards; workplace-oriented vocational training in organised industrial zones.
04

Session 4 — University-Industry Cooperation and New Opportunities in Agricultural Digital Transformation · Sectoral

  • Agri-food-focused technopark and TTO performance: TTOs as capital companies, project-matching/contracting/licensing competencies, performance indicators.
  • Academic entrepreneurship and spin-offs in smart-agriculture technologies; incubation and accelerator programmes for agri-food in TDZs.
  • Financing: UIC priority and private-sector co-financing within BAP, TEYDEB programmes, agricultural R&D supports (TAGEM, IPARD), regional venture capital and angel-investment networks.
  • Precision agriculture, agricultural IoT and remote sensing, AI-assisted decision-support systems, agricultural data platforms; transfer of university research to farmers and the agri-food industry.
05

Session 5 — Global Ecosystems and Industry-Oriented Graduate Education · International

  • Localisation of pharmaceuticals, vaccines and medical devices: sector–university matching and joint roadmaps; TÜSEB support mechanisms.
  • Opening clinical research centres and central laboratories to industry; health infrastructures under Law No. 6550; university capacity in test–accreditation–certification processes.
  • Patents, licensing and commercialisation in health: "from idea to product" models; health UIC outputs in academic promotion.
  • Health-focused technopark/TTO experience and hospital–industry interfaces; university–hospital–industry collaboration in robotic surgery and advanced medical-device development.
06

Session 6 — Good Practices in Higher Education Research Management · ARDEK

  • Institutional experience and good-practice examples from Offices of the Dean of Research (ARDEK) and R&D coordinatorships of different universities.
  • Lessons learned in coordinating interface units (BAP, TTO, technopark, project offices) under one roof.
  • Measurable outcomes, monitoring and shared-learning mechanisms in university–industry collaboration.
  • Networking, mentoring and joint project/application opportunities across ARDEKs.
07

Session 7 — Closing Session

  • Rapporteur summaries of the six sessions
  • Adoption of the Konya Declaration
  • Announcement of the host for the 6th ARDEK Workshop (2027) and the handover of the flag
  • Closing remarks
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Konya Declaration

At the close of the Workshop on Research Ecosystem and Governance in Higher Education, the outputs of two days of discussions and working groups will be compiled into the Konya Declaration. This declaration will be shared publicly with a view to presenting its policy recommendations, implementation guidance and priority action items to CoHE and relevant ministries.

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