GTU Is A Model For University-Industry Collaboration

The Kocaeli City Planning and Development Meeting for Public Sector-University-Industry Collaboration took place at GTU. Osman Ekşi, Kocaeli Deputy Governor, said at the meeting that GTU is a university that should be taken as an example for university-industry collaboration.

Gebze Technical University recently hosted the Public Sector-University-Industry Collaboration (KÜSİ) Meeting. The meeting, which took place at GTU Business Administration Faculty's conference hall, was attended by Osman Ekşi, Kocaeli Deputy Governor; Prof. Haluk Görgün, GTU Rector; İlhan Aydın, The Provincial Director of Science, Industry and Technology; Assoc. Prof. Serdar Kara, KÜSİ Gebze Representative; representatives of public institutions and organized industrial zones, and academicians. Presentations were made at the meeting for planning and developing the Public Sector-University-Industry Collaboration city wide. In the speech he made during the meeting, GTU Rector Prof. Görgün said that they have great faith in university-industry collaboration as GTU, and that GTU has been making serious efforts in this matter. Görgün emphasized that, in order for the country's technology to gain independence, efforts need to be shown in a way that does not repeat itself but in a way that existing powers work interactively and synergistically to develop the country and the human resource within the country's vision.

"WE BELIEVE IN UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY COLLABORATION"

In his speech, Görgün remarked that he thinks that during KÜSİ meetings, institutions and organizations will produce important results in updating themselves, and gave examples from activities conducted at GTU for university-industry collaboration. Görgün said: "Together with our Provincial Director for Science, Industry and Technology, we visit a company in our region every week. We mutually identify the topics to be worked on and focus on them. Our Technology Transfer Center is continuing its activities with efforts in the way of developing and increasing the R&D Centers introduced by the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology. With our faculty members, we attend talking sessions on topics related to the industry of a different company every month in Gebze Organized Industrial Zone. This dialogue we have with the companies have started yielding results. There are already 8 companies that we have included in our scope of R&D Centers. As a university, we have great faith in university-industry collaboration. And we believe that these meetings will be a motivation in this matter.

"GTU BOOSTS OUR MORALE"

Starting his speech wishing that the actions taken during these meetings will be of use for the future generations, Kocaeli Deputy Governor Osman Ekşi said that GTU is a university that should be considered as an example for the leap in university-industry collaboration. Ekşi remarked: "The remarks of our distinguished Rector in this topic boosts our morale. Turkey needs to be powerful as the region she is located requires. Being powerful involves being economically powerful. That is why university-industry collaboration is a vital issue for us. In our time, taking education and industry under different headings is out of question. Value added products are needed. We need to enable an economic system and have economic competence where our industrial and technological products serve the world in light of education. The key to this is universities. We have come a long way compared to the past; our industrialists are aware of this fact and our universities are interested in that. What the Dear Rector said must set an example for others. We need to increase the number of universities that visit industrial organizations in the flesh. And what I see in our industrialists here in this meeting is that what really matters is not the money but producing something. I think all industrialists should have this mindset. And more effective products need to be manufactured hand in hand with universities. Our job is to provide you with a convenient environment  for this. I hope these meetings contribute to our goals, even if just a bit. I thank everyone at GTU who has been making efforts in this matter, with our Rector being in the first place."