Research Universities Meeting was hosted by Fırat University with the participation of YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar and 23 University Rectors.

The meeting was attended by YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar; Vice President of YÖK Prof. Dr. Haldun Göktaş, Member of the Executive Board of YÖK Prof. Dr. Naci Gündoğan, Rector of Atatürk University, Prof. Dr. Ömer Çomaklı and the Rectors of 22 Research Universities and the vice-rectors.

Performance of Research Universities Evaluated

At the meeting held with the participation of 23 university rectors, 20 of which are state and 3 of which are foundation universities, determined as research universities by the Council of Higher Education, the performances of these universities were evaluated with a total of 30 indicators in the dimensions of "research capacity", "research quality" and "interaction and cooperation".

The meeting also discussed the number of projects and the budgets used by research universities within the scope of Research Universities Support Program (ADEP) for 2022.

President of YÖK Prof. Dr. Özvar said: “Research Universities are the Institutions Directing the Change in the World”

President of YÖK Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, in his speech within the scope of the meeting, stated that they are very happy to be in Elazig made the following remarks: “Research Universities are one of the important issues that play a critical role in the regional and national awareness that serve the national interests of the country. On the one hand, it plays an important role in the production of information, providing technical support and training experts in the fields needed by the society and the state, with its R&D and entrepreneurship activities and numerous patents on the other hand. Compared to other institutions, research universities are the main institutions that follow and direct the change in the country and the world.

“We Desire Our Universities to Continue their Growth with Mission-Oriented Differentiation”

Expressing that research universities play an important role in the international arena as well as their contribution to national development, Özvar said: "Especially, research universities, which increase their international visibility with their roles in innovation and knowledge production, also greatly support the global competition of countries in knowledge production. Their strong research capacities and thus their contribution to global knowledge production are among the factors that directly lead them to have a voice and leadership in economic and political fields. As the Council of Higher Education, we also want our universities to continue the expansion we have experienced in the field of higher education in Türkiye in the last two decades with mission-oriented differentiation. We wish to produce qualified knowledge within the framework of our country's primary goals and fields, to encourage interdisciplinary studies and collaborations, to increase the number of researchers. In December 2021, we made important changes in the "Research Oriented Mission Differentiation and Specialization Programme," which we started with the aim of making our websites more visible in the international arena. Thus, we have clarified the objectives of the program and strengthened its content. With 3 foundation universities included in the program, as of 2022, we have reached a total of 23 research universities, 20 of which are state and 3 are foundation universities. Research Universities are divided into 3 performance groups as A1, A2 and A3 according to their performance. All the supports planned to be provided to research universities differ according to the performance group they are in.

Rector Çomaklı: “We Strive to Both Produce Knowledge and Use the Produced Knowledge for the Benefit of Humanity”

Making an evaluation about the meeting, Atatürk University Rector Prof. Dr. Ömer Çomaklı, on the other hand, noted that as a university, they went through a transformation related to education, a new era started, and in this context, important achievements were made in many fields from the number of publications to patents, from the number of projects to the accreditation process, and that important breakthroughs were made in terms of serving the society as well as scientific and research-development studies.

Rector Çomaklı, who stated that Atatürk University proved that it fulfilled its duties and responsibilities by being chosen as a Research University, said: “The evaluations made within the scope of the meeting are of great importance for us to see the aspects in which our university is successful and the aspects that are open to development. We strive both to produce knowledge and to use the produced knowledge for the benefit of humanity. After being selected as a Research University, our responsibility has increased even more. As each individual of Atatürk University, we will continue to work, produce and turn what is produced into benefit, with the awareness of this responsibility.”

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION DIRECTORATE – 18.11.2022