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Noteworthy Projects from Research Universities: Bill-Free Buildings, Domestic Cancer Drugs, Remote Care: Online Home Therapy, Mucilage Early Warning System, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Vaccine

Projects prepared within the framework of the Research Universities Support Program (RUSP) were introduced at the Evaluation Meeting held at Ankara University

CoHE President Özvar: "As we improve our research culture, I believe that the budgets allocated to research will increase to the same extent. The most important thing here is to establish and cultivate this research culture at Turkish universities."

May 4, 2023

The projects prepared by research universities and supported by the Presidency of Strategy and Budget were evaluated at the meeting attended by CoHE President, Prof. Erol Özvar, Director of the Presidency of Strategy and Budget, İbrahim Şenel, CoHE Executive Board Members, Prof. Naci Gündoğan, Prof. Kemal Şenocak, Prof. Erol Arcaklıoğlu, and Prof. Arif Bilgin, rectors of research universities and faculty members working as project coordinators.

Among the projects of research universities, the studies on "bill-free buildings", "domestic cancer drugs", "remote care: online home therapy", "mucilage early warning system", "Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever vaccine" drew attention.

Özvar delivered a speech at the opening of the Evaluation Meeting of the Research Universities Support Program hosted by Ankara University and reminded that the new vision for the Research-Oriented Mission Differentiation and Specialization Program carried out by the Council of Higher Education was announced at the meeting held on 13 December 2021 in order to produce knowledge in line with Türkiye's priority goals and fields, to encourage interdisciplinary studies and collaboration, to increase the number of doctoral researchers, to strengthen international collaboration and to make universities more visible in the international arena.

Özvar stated that the Research Universities Support Program (RUSP) was launched the previous week with the protocol signed between the Council of Higher Education and the Presidency of Strategy and Budget to increase the research capacities of universities in the research universities program, and noted that the Presidency of Strategy and Budget allocated resources to research universities to be used in their projects according to the performance evaluation through the Commission established by the Council of Higher Education.

"As we improve our research culture, I believe that the budgets allocated to research will increase to the same extent. The most important thing here is to establish and cultivate this research culture at Turkish universities. In this respect, research universities can use these resources to support scientific research projects in the fields they are matched by CoHE, especially in the priority sectors specified in the 11th Development Plan."

"Project performances of universities are monitored"

He stated that a Monitoring and Evaluation Committee was established within CoHE to monitor and evaluate the projects prepared under RUSP, and that the project performances of universities were closely monitored through this Committee. Özvar said that they would make an overall assessment of the projects carried out in 2022 and 2023 at the meeting.

İbrahim Şenel: "We will continue to support the establishment and development of large-scale research infrastructures"

Director of the Presidency of Strategy and Budget, İbrahim Şenel, pointed out that higher education institutions played an important role in the economic and social development of countries with their functions of producing knowledge and conducting research. Şenel said, "In the next five years, we aim to increase the role and effectiveness of Turkish universities in economic and social development and to create more highly qualified human capital. In line with this goal, we will continue to support the establishment and development of scientific research projects and large-scale research infrastructures to improve the research capacity of these universities."

Following the opening speeches, the faculty members who will carry out the projects supported under RUSP made presentations about their projects. Then the rectors shared their opinions and suggestions.

CoHE President Özvar said, "These presentations showed us that the Turkish universities that have gained the title of “research university” have the proper capacity, potential and performance. As the president, I think that our universities can gain the status of “research university” not by the appointment of the Council of Higher Education, but by the products they have created."

-Examples of Supported Projects

Studies in the fields of medicine and energy stand out among the 539 ongoing projects that benefited from the Research Universities Support Program in 2022 and 2023.

Some of the supported projects are as follows:

-Atatürk University's "Synthesis of Ribociclib Compound through a New Method Project", which envisages the production of the drug used in breast cancer, which costs around 20 thousand TL, in Türkiye through a new method,

- Boğaziçi University's "Antibody-polymer Conjugate Nano Drug Development Project" that will provide easy access to medicine,

- Dokuz Eylül University's energy storage project called "Examination of Thermal Management Systems for Batteries and Metal Hydride Tanks in Electric and Fuel Cell Vehicles",

- Ege University's "Development of Dielectric Barrier Discharge (DBD) Plasma Detector and Optical Measurement Device for SIBO Diagnosis Using Breath Project", which will enable the detection of bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine from breath analysis,

- Erciyes University's new vaccine technology project called "Development of Self-Replicating RNA-Based Protective Vaccine Candidates Against Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever”,

- Fırat University's "A New Design Project of Bill-free Building with Almost Zero Energy Consumption, PV/T Support and Drying Unit" that will reduce energy consumption,

- Gebze Technical University's "Development of a Multi-Purpose Malware Detection and Prevention Method (Cyber Security) Project"

- Hacettepe University's "Exoskeleton Design for Telerehabilitation and Home Therapy (ARMxoHU) Supported by Online Image Based Motion Analysis System for DMD (Duchenne Muscular Dysthropy) and MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Patients Project" that envisions a remote monitoring and treatment method by examining images and movements online

- Istanbul Technical University's "Project on Increasing the Bioavailability of Bioactive Components in Bee Products with Different Encapsulation Techniques and Obtaining Functional Products" for increasing the functionality of bee products and preventing adulteration in this field,

- Istanbul University's "Examination of the Biodiversity around Rabbit Island in the Marmara Sea by Using Hyperspectral/Multispectral Satellite and UAV Images with Machine and Deep Learning Algorithms Project", which envisages a mucilage early warning system,

- Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa's "Cyber Security Vulnerability Research Project in Critical Infrastructures"