The seventh Project Launch Meeting organized by the Department of R&D and Innovation Policies of Üsküdar University was held. During the meeting, the university’s academic performance indicators, achievements in global rankings, ARGEYEP activities, and details of newly accepted research projects were discussed in detail. The meeting also featured the introduction of the “MySmart Intelligent Module Management System,” which was developed within the university.
The meeting, held at the Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall of Üsküdar University Main Campus, was attended by President of Üsküdar University Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, Rector Prof. Nazife Güngör, Vice Rector Prof. Türker Tekin Ergüzel, ARGEYEP Director Asst. Prof. Müge Ensari Özay, as well as project coordinators, academics, and working group representatives.
Prof. Türker Tekin Ergüzel: “We are ranked first in Türkiye among foundation universities”
Delivering the opening speech of the meeting, Vice Rector Prof. Türker Tekin Ergüzel drew attention to the university’s achievements in international rankings. Ergüzel said, “In the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, we have ranked first in Türkiye among foundation universities that received 17 labels over the past two years. We are the only foundation university to achieve this success for two consecutive years. In addition, among 1,267 universities worldwide that are competitive in interdisciplinary studies, our neuroscience focused research ranked in the 251–300 range, placing us in the top quartile.”
“The sustainability of this growth is extremely valuable for us”
Referring to publication and project performance, Prof. Ergüzel stated, “We have achieved a steady upward trend in the number of Scopus indexed publications. Our target for 2026 is to reach approximately 600 publications. There has also been a significant increase in our project budgets. The sustainability of this growth is extremely valuable for us.”
Assoc. Prof. Ömer Şevgin: “We aim to increase multidisciplinary studies”
Speaking during the meeting, Working Groups Coordinator Assoc. Prof. Ömer Şevgin provided information about the new period structuring of the working groups. Şevgin said, “By identifying inactive groups, we are continuing our work with a total of 40 active working groups. Our aim is to increase multidisciplinary studies and to monitor publication processes more closely.”
Asst. Prof. Müge Ensari Özay: “We report data accurately with MySmart”
ARGEYEP Director Asst. Prof. Müge Ensari Özay delivered a presentation on behalf of the ARGEYEP Executive Board, sharing data on BAP projects, university industry collaborations, and patent processes. Özay introduced the “MySmart Intelligent Module Management System,” which was developed by the university’s own software team. She said, “Instead of outsourcing services, we developed MySmart specifically for our own needs. With this system, we can report projects, patents, and academic data in a much more transparent, fast, and error free manner. The system also has the infrastructure to provide instant answers to questions through artificial intelligence support.”
Launch of three new projects
Presentations of three important projects that were accepted and have begun implementation were delivered by the project coordinators.
Prof. Nesrin Erçelen: “We will reveal the molecular evidence of treatments”
Presenting the TÜSEB B supported project titled “Significant Detection and Comparison of Genomic Expression Changes Following Exosome and Mesenchymal Stem Cell Infusion in Rat Models with Carotid Ischemia,” Prof. Nesrin Erçelen, Head of the Department of Medical Genetics at the Faculty of Medicine, said, “We aim to reveal the molecular level evidence of the treatments we apply in clinical practice. By comparing the genetic expressions of stem cell and exosome therapies in rat models, we aim to bring evidence based standardization to treatment protocols.”
Assoc. Prof. Cihan Becan: “Consumers have data privacy concerns”
Providing information about the TÜBİTAK 1002 A supported project titled “The Privacy Paradox Within the Framework of the Communication Privacy Management Model: The Psycho Social Effects of Digital Advertisements on Consumer Privacy Based on Promotion Focused and Prevention Focused Groups,” Science Communication Coordinator Assoc. Prof. Cihan Becan said, “While consumers like personalized advertisements, they also have concerns about data privacy. We will address this paradox based on Communication Privacy Management Theory by examining prevention focused and promotion focused motivations.”
Asst. Prof. İnci Karakaş: “We will work with real wastewater for the first time in Türkiye”
Presenting the TÜBİTAK 1002 A supported project titled “Treatment of Wastewater from the Gold Processing Industry Using the Electrocoagulation Process,” Asst. Prof. İnci Karakaş, Deputy Director of the Graduate School of Health Sciences, said, “For the first time in Türkiye, we will conduct characterization studies using real wastewater obtained from the facility in Yenibosna. We aim to remove heavy metals and recover water through the electrocoagulation process.”
Assoc. Prof. Pınar Aslan: “We have produced numerous academic outputs”
Assoc. Prof. Pınar Aslan, a faculty member of the Department of Public Relations and Publicity at the Faculty of Communication, delivered a presentation titled “Popular Culture Working Group.” Aslan spoke about the project goals of the Faculty of Communication and said, “As the Popular Culture Working Group, we have produced numerous academic outputs to date, including Scopus indexed articles, international books and book chapters, conference papers, and projects. This production process strengthens our faculty’s project-oriented vision while ensuring that academic studies progress in a qualified and sustainable manner.”
Following the presentations, President of Üsküdar University Prof. Nevzat Tarhan presented certificates to the project coordinators.
The meeting concluded with a group photo session.