Research at Özyeğin

Özyeğin University set out with the mission of being "An entrepreneurial research university centered on student transformation, educational excellence, and an outstanding university experience," and is progressing toward this goal with confident strides.

Particularly in its latest strategic plan, the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan, one of the main components of the University’s vision has been defined as “to be an entrepreneurial research university with high global scientific, social, and economic impact.” According to this strategic plan, research management at ÖzU has been designed within the framework of the vision “to strengthen its position as an entrepreneurial research university that elevates the research environment to the highest level, produces solutions to global problems, and contributes to universal science.” To implement this approach effectively, Research and Development execution and processes are managed as of the 2024-25 academic year by the newly established Vice Presidency for Research, Innovation, and Impact (VPRII). The primary mission of this new vice presidency is to steer the research and innovation activities conducted at the University, measure their impacts, and ensure the execution of studies with high global impact and added value as outlined in the strategic plan. In this context, it works closely with units involved in research and innovation, such as graduate programs, research centers, and the technology transfer office.

Research activities at the institution are carried out through faculties, institutes, applied and research centers, and research laboratories. Research and innovation are built on three fundamental pillars: researcher human resources, research infrastructure, and research funding. Weakness in any of these three pillars will result in an inefficient research ecosystem and, consequently, low research effectiveness. The primary task of VPRII is to ensure that these three fundamental elements are properly structured and that their operational mechanisms are correctly designed. Considering that the most critical component of this trio is the researchers, the faculty provides this ecosystem’s human resources through faculty members, while institutes contribute through master’s and doctoral students. This is why a research-oriented academic staff and well-supported Master’s and Doctoral programs are among the most critical elements of Research Universities. The necessary research infrastructure for researchers to conduct their studies is provided through centers and research laboratories. The final component of the trio is the Knowledge, Technology Transfer, and Entrepreneurship Directorate (BTTG), which ensures access to the necessary funding sources and collaborations for conducting up-to-date research and fostering national and international partnerships. Housing the Technology Transfer Office (TTO), Entrepreneurship Center, and Openfab, BTTG provides support in incentivizing research and innovation activities, maximizing ÖzÜ researchers’ utilization of national and international support mechanisms, enhancing university-industry collaboration, managing intellectual and industrial property rights, and fostering entrepreneurship. The Project Management and Control Unit, operating under Financial Affairs, offers specialized services in executing all accounting, reporting, auditing, and control processes of projects with a separate professional team, as well as reporting the financial data of the university’s research performance.