The Horizon Europe – Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Information Day, organized in collaboration with YTÜ and TÜBİTAK, will bring researchers in Turkey together with the opportunities offered by Europe’s leading research and mobility programs. The event will contribute to sharing YTÜ’s project experience under Horizon Europe with the research ecosystem and to the development of new international collaborations. 

Yıldız Technical University (YTÜ) will host a comprehensive information day on the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), part of the European Union’s research and innovation program Horizon Europe.  

Organized in collaboration with TÜBİTAK, the event will begin on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in the Historic Hamam Conference Hall at YTÜ’s Davutpaşa Campus, in collaboration with TÜBİTAK. The event is open to faculty members, researchers, graduate students from all universities, and representatives of relevant institutions. Approximately 300 participants are expected to attend.

Coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the MSCA, the event will address the opportunities offered by the program, which supports the international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral mobility of researchers. 

Participants will receive up-to-date information on calls for Doctoral Networks, Postdoctoral Fellowships, COFUND, and Staff Exchanges; application processes, methods for establishing international consortia, and TÜBİTAK funding will be shared in detail.

European Commission and TÜBİTAK experts at YTÜ

The event, which will open with a keynote address by YTÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik, will feature Dr. Burcu Göğüş Doğan, TÜBİTAK’s MSCA National Contact Point and Turkey National Expert, will deliver a general presentation on the MSCA program under Horizon Europe. 

Renat Bilyalov, Deputy Head of Unit at the European Research Executive Agency and one of the event’s keynote speakers, will share the general framework of the MSCA and the details of the Staff Exchanges call with participants.

In the afternoon session, Prof. Dr. Esra Çapanoğlu Güven from Istanbul Technical University will draw on her experience with the BEE-TECH project—which she coordinates under the MSCA Staff Exchanges program—to she will share her experiences regarding the establishment of an effective consortium, the preparation of the project proposal, and the management of the application process.

TÜBİTAK MSCA National Contact Points Şeyma Sayımlar and Dr. Burcu Göğüş Doğan will also provide information on advisory services available to researchers, national support mechanisms, and EURAXESS opportunities.

Prof. Dr. Afşın Yusuf Çetinkaya, a faculty member in the Department of Environmental Engineering at the YTÜ Faculty of Civil Engineering, will also introduce the BBGNight-TR project, which he coordinates; the BBGNight-TR project—which aims to strengthen interaction between researchers and society—and will share YTÜ’s experience under the MSCA and Citizens program, as well as the approach developed within the project, with participants.

Enriched with Q&A sessions, expert insights, and networking opportunities, the program will offer participants the chance to communicate directly with international project experts, refine their project ideas, and develop new partnerships. The program will conclude at 5:30 p.m. 

YTÜ to Share Its MSCA Experience with Researchers

YTÜ is strengthening its institutional experience in this field through projects it carries out under various components of the MSCA. 

The ECOSPHERE COFUND project, in which YTÜ Vice Rector for Research and Planning Prof. Dr. Güleda Engin is a partner, and the ESPERANTO Doctoral Networks project, in which Prof. Dr. Nergis Arsu, a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry at the Faculty of Science and Letters,is a partner in the ESPERANTO Doctoral Networks project; Prof. Dr. Ahmet Selim Dalkılıç, a faculty member in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, is a partner in the Ice-Link Staff Exchanges project; and Prof. Dr. Afşın Yusuf Çetinkaya, as well as the SHORE – Empowering Students as the Agents of Change Horizon Europe project, which focuses on water literacy. 

The TEAM Doctoral Networks project, in which Prof. Dr. Nergis Arsu is a partner, has also been awarded funding under the 2025 call. 

A Common Ground for the Research and Innovation Ecosystem

The MSCA Information Day aims to strengthen the participation of researchers in Turkey in the European Research Area, enhance universities’ capacity to apply to the program, and contribute to the development of new international partnerships within the research ecosystem.

Within the scope of the program, particular emphasis will be placed on the “Staff Exchanges” call, which supports the exchange of research and innovation personnel between academic institutions, companies, public organizations, and civil society organizations. This call, which facilitates the transfer of research results to various sectors and strengthens the flow of information between institutions, offers significant opportunities for university–industry collaboration.

YTÜ’s efforts in the Horizon Europe framework are supported by the Yıldız TTO International Projects Unit’s assistance with call tracking, project development, and partner identification, as well as the mechanisms of the YTÜ Research Fund Coordination Office that strengthen international research collaborations; are supported by YTÜ Yıldız Technopark’s structure, which brings together academia, industry, and entrepreneurship networks.

Projects such as ECHO in the field of energy communities, SHORE focused on marine and water literacy, and BBGNight-TR, which aims to strengthen science-society interaction, demonstrate YTÜ’s capacity to generate international projects centered on research, innovation, sustainability, and social impact.

The MSCA Information Day, to be held in collaboration with YTÜ–TÜBİTAK, aims to share YTÜ’s expertise in European research programs with a broader community of researchers while contributing to the development of new project ideas, international partnerships, and European-funded research initiatives.