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April 9, 2025 - GTU Office of Press and Public Relations
Hosted by Gebze Technical University (GTU), the COVER Project Workshop focuses on the themes of Smart Cities and Sustainable Urban Life.
The first workshop of the project titled “(C)ombinatorial (O)ptimization for (V)ersatile Applications to (E)merging u(R)ban Problems” (COVER), coordinated by Gebze Technical University (GTU) and supported by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe Marie Skłodowska-Curie Program, was held at GTU from April 7 to 11, 2025. On April 7–8, the sessions open to external participants took place at the GTU Congress Center, where experts from academia, industry, and local governments gathered to explore solutions to urban problems using combinatorial optimization methods.
Addressing Urban Issues Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration The COVER Project aims to develop innovative solutions in the fields of smart cities and sustainable urban development by applying combinatorial optimization, graph theory, and operations research methodologies. During the workshop, which brought together participants from academia, industry, and public institutions in Türkiye, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, and South Africa, topics such as urban transportation, disaster management, healthcare services, and the concept of the “15-minute city” were discussed.
Opening Remarks and Sessions The opening speech of the workshop was delivered by GTU Vice-Rector Prof. Hasari Çelebi. Project Coordinator Prof. Didem Gözüpek presented the project’s objectives and expected impacts. Following this, Prof. Sibel Özkan and Asst. Prof. Hadi Alizadeh shared the outcomes of GTU’s project team meetings with local governments and their research focus areas. Sessions included presentations from consortium partners—Boğaziçi University, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk University of Technology, Optiyol Inc., University of Cádiz, University of Coruña, Stellenbosch University, University of Pretoria, and University of Fribourg—as well as invited speakers outside the consortium. Highlighted topics included optimization models for post-disaster operational planning, improving the accessibility of semi-mobile clinics, the efficiency of public transportation networks, and urban applications of graph theory problems.
Sustainable Impact and Next Steps Organized by the GTU COVER project team consisting of Prof. Didem Gözüpek, Prof. Sibel Özkan, Asst. Prof. Hadi Alizadeh, Res. Asst. Fatih Yetgin (PhD), and Res. Asst. Aslıhan Gür, the first in-person workshop—attended by all consortium members—facilitated the formation of internal working groups and the initiation of scientific studies. This event marked a significant milestone for the project, contributing to the strengthening of collaboration among consortium partners, clarifying project goals, and planning future research activities. Additionally, strategic discussions were held on how the project outcomes could be implemented in the context of urbanization, sustainability, and smart city applications. |
