‘TUBITAK’ support for students’ projects

34 students from Izmir University of Economics (IUE) have qualified for grants under TUBITAK’s ‘2209-A’ program, which is aimed at encouraging young people to engage in scientific research. IUE students, who will carry out R&D projects in various fields such as artificial intelligence, health, environment, and sociology, will receive a total of approximately 300 thousand TL in support to complete their projects alongside their instructors. Stating that they consistently motivate students to generate scientific projects, IUE Rector Prof. Dr. Yusuf Hakan Abacıoğlu said, “We applied to TUBITAK for 42 research projects of our students, and 34 of them were accepted. With an 81% acceptance rate, we became one of the universities in Turkey with the highest acceptance rate.”

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) carefully reviewed thousands of applications from across the country and selected the students eligible for support. Aiming to help young people gain experience by working with their academic mentors in areas they are passionate about, TUBITAK considered many criteria such as the project's quality and feasibility. A total of 34 students from IUE’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Business, School of Applied Management Sciences, and Vocational School of Health Services successfully received grants.

“RAPID DEVELOPMENT REFLECTED IN THE NUMBERS”

Emphasizing that the world is undergoing a major transformation based on technology and digitalization, IUE Rector Prof. Dr. Yusuf Hakan Abacıoğlu said they place great importance on nurturing the research capabilities of young people.

Stating that they are continuously raising the bar for success across the university, Prof. Dr. Abacıoğlu said, “In terms of the number of companies founded through the TUBITAK Entrepreneurship Support Program (BIGG), we are among the top 10 universities in Turkey. The number of annual citations for our academics’ national and international work has been consistently increasing over the last 6 years, reaching 7 thousand 422 as of 2024. While the average ‘field-weighted citation impact’ in the top-tier research universities (Group A-1) is 1.32, our University has achieved an average of 1.24. We proved that we are one of Turkey’s leading universities in quality research. We have prioritized qualitative transformation and societal benefit in the social sciences; over the past 5 years, we have implemented more than 30 international projects. The number of our university-industry collaboration projects has reached 165. In 2024 alone, we received patent registrations for 5 critical technologies. All these clearly show our progress in the field of project development.”

“TECHNOLOGY INCREASES COMPETITION”

Noting that technology is rapidly advancing and competition among young people is increasing, Prof. Dr. Abacıoğlu emphasized that the University provides full access to all technological resources and laboratories for students. Stating they aim to nurture young people who never stop experimenting and researching, who use science as their guide, and who always strive for the best, Prof. Dr. Abacıoğlu said, “TUBITAK’s 2209-A program is of great importance in guiding young people toward scientific research. As a University, we continuously encourage our students to generate and submit projects. We focus on developing high-quality projects. The fact that 34 out of 42 applications were accepted is a concrete indication that our students are being guided correctly and are achieving success. I sincerely believe our academics and students will produce excellent work.”

SOME OF THE SUPPORTED PROJECTS

- Approximate solutions of mathematical models of online gaming addiction

- Analyzing the effect of sustainable product packaging on consumer behavior using EEG signals

-The impact of e-cigarette use on respiratory functions, chest mobility, functional capacity, and sleep quality in young individuals

- Culinary use of the invasive Lionfish in the Aegean Sea