Cooperation of seaside universities. Gdańsk Tech and Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi have signed an agreement | Gdańsk University of Technology

The agreement was signed as part of an official visit that took place on 8 - 9 May 2024. Prof. Krzysztof Wilde, rector of Gdańsk Tech and prof. Marek Dzida from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Ship Technology went to Izmir. The signatory on the part of Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi was prof. Dr. Mahmut Ak, rector of the university.

During the event, Rector Wilde presented an overview of the current cooperation between both universities, expressing openness to further cooperation under the Erasmus+ program. The Gdańsk Tech Rector also invited interested units and staff to discuss future editions of the competition for Polish-Turkish research cooperation. In the second part of the first day of the visit, the delegation of Gdańsk University of Technology had the opportunity to visit the university campus far from the city center.

On the second day of the visit, the delegation visited the Institute of Marine Science and Technology, where a presentation of scientific laboratories and a research vessel took place. Then, a meeting was held with the institute's scientific staff and industry representatives, during which the directions of scientific and didactic cooperation between the two universities were discussed. Both sides expressed their determination to take joint actions.

On the part of the Turkish university, prof. Şükrü Beşiktepe (Physical Oceanography), proposed cooperation in the area of renewable marine energy sources and underwater acoustics, recommending the organization of summer schools. Orhan Pehlivan, head of the R&D department at Sirena Marine, stated that as an industrial partner they are ready to carry out joint projects. In turn, prof. Murat Gündüz drew attention to the multidisciplinary nature of oceanography and marine pollution research and stated that cooperation in this area is extremely important. Prof. Olgun Konur discussed the benefits of increasing the exchange of Polish and Turkish students and staff under the Erasmus+ program. Moreover, prof. Günay Çifçi (Marine Geophysics) presented the advantages of the marine geology and geophysics laboratory and proposed cooperation in the design of a new research vessel for the Turkish University. At the end of the meeting, Rector Wilde emphasized his determination to immediately start cooperation between the two universities. Prof. Gökdeniz Neşer said that relations with Gdańsk University of Technology goes back a long way, and on behalf of IMST he thanked the Gdańsk Tech Rector for the visit to Izmir.

Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi was founded in 1982. The university educates over 63,000 students from all over the country and almost 2,000 foreign students, from 102 countries around the world. In 2018 it was selected as one of 20 pilot universities by the Turkish Higher Education Council to implement the internationalization strategy. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi has 18 faculties covering a wide range of scientific fields, 10 postgraduate schools and institutes, 49 research centers. The university employs over 3,000 research workers, including numerous professors and assistant professors.