Strategic Collaboration Between GTU and Turkish Aerospace Industries

December 31, 2025 - GTU Office of Press and Public Relations
 

Gebze Technical University (GTU) is building an academic bridge in the National Technology Initiative through a protocol signed with Turkish Aerospace Industries (TUSAŞ), a leading name in the defense industry.

A new step has been added to the ongoing strategic collaboration between the Council of Higher Education (CoHE) and the defense industry. A “Cooperation Protocol in Graduate Education” has been signed between CoHE, the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TUSAŞ), and nine universities, including Gebze Technical University (GTU).

At the signing ceremony held at TUSAŞ facilities under the coordination of CoHE, the protocol was signed by Erol Özvar, President of the Council of Higher Education; Prof. Haluk Görgün, Secretary of Turkish Defense Industries; Mehmet Demiroğlu, General Manager of TUSAŞ; Prof. Hacı Ali Mantar, Rector of Gebze Technical University; and the rectors of Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, Ankara University, Fırat University, Gazi University, Hacettepe University, Istanbul Technical University (ITU), Marmara University, and Yıldız Technical University.

Targeting Qualified Human Capital

Through this comprehensive protocol, Gebze Technical University will combine its identity as a research university with TUSAŞ’s field expertise and focus on the following objectives:

Credit-Based Training: Vocational and technical training programs conducted within TUSAŞ will be recognized as credit-bearing courses at GTU and the other partner universities.

Academic–Industry Instructor Exchange: Expert staff from TUSAŞ will serve as instructors in GTU’s graduate programs, transferring practical know-how into the academic environment.

Customized Graduate Programs: In line with TUSAŞ’s needs, customized thesis and non-thesis master’s and doctoral programs focused on the defense industry will be launched at GTU.

Emphasis on “Theory and Practice in Education”

Following the signing ceremony, GTU Rector Prof. Hacı Ali Mantar emphasized the pivotal role of this collaboration in the university’s educational model and stated:

“As Gebze Technical University, we combine our position at the heart of industry with academic strength, and we strongly support an educational model in which theory and practice are fully integrated. This protocol signed with TUSAŞ is a critical step that will directly connect our university’s academic depth with our country’s strategic defense projects. Graduate students will be involved in a genuine experiential process enriched by TUSAŞ’s field experience. This bridge that we are building together as GTU and our eight distinguished universities will enable us to train the qualified human capital required by our defense industry with academic rigor and hands-on practice.”

With this protocol, GTU will further strengthen its expertise in aerospace technologies and will assume a leading role in training the highly qualified engineers and researchers needed by the defense industry.