Under the leadership of Istanbul Ticaret University Technology Transfer Office and Istanbul Ticaret University European Union Application and Research Center, and in partnership with Teknopark Istanbul and Information Commercialization Center, an event entitled “EU Grants and Current Developments” was held with an immense participation. The opening speeches of the event, which was moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Oğuz Demir, were delivered by Istanbul Ticaret University Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Abdul Halim Zaim, Teknopark Istanbul Deputy General Manager Dr. Cem Duran and Information Commercialization Center (BTM) Director Mr. İbrahim Halid Elbaşı.

In his speech, Prof. Dr. Abdul Halim Zaim talked about the works of our University’s Technology Transfer Office and our academicians on European grant schemes, and emphasized that the projects should be intertwined with the industry and that solutions, which will create added value for the problems encountered, should be offered. Additionally, he stated that the synergy between Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, Teknopark Istanbul, Information Commercialization Center and our University plays an important role in the realization of value-added projects.

In his speech, Information Commercialization Center (BTM) Director Mr. İbrahim Elbaşı mentioned the importance of EU grants and subsidies for innovative initiatives, and stated that innovative entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs have an important role in creating value during the times of intense environmental uncertainties such as the COVID-19 process, and that public institutions and organizations should jointly develop consortia.

Teknopark Istanbul Deputy General Manager Dr. Cem Duran stated that EU grants and incentives are one of the focal points of the companies under Teknopark Istanbul, and that they are open to cooperation in the creation of projects that will create added value and to take part in the consortiums to be formed for project applications under Teknopark Istanbul.

After the opening speeches, the event continued with the presentation of Bülent Özcan, General Manager of Financial Cooperation and Project Implementation at the European Union Presidency of of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Turkey. Mr. Özcan, who provided enlightening information on the European Union supports provided within the scope of the Pre-Accession Financial Assistance to Turkey, emphasized the importance of supporting projects on strengthening the civil society dialogue between Turkey and the EU.

Subsequently, information was provided on the grant programs by the European Union under Erasmus+, Horizon 2020, COSME and EASI, and on the good practice examples in relation thereto.

Who is Bülent Özcan?

Bülent Özcan has graduated from Middle East Technical University (METU) Department of International Relations in 1999. He completed his master’s degree at Marmara University European Community Institute in the field of EU Economy. He was accepted to the Leadership Program organized by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In 2001, he assumed various roles, i.e. assistant expert, expert, coordinator and chairman, within the body of the Ministry for EU Affairs. He has been working as the General Manager of Financial Cooperation and Project Implementation at the European Union Presidency of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Turkey since December 2018. Within the capacity of his position, he is responsible for the overall coordination of EU financial assistance to Turkey. Additionally, he teaches project management courses in the Business Administration Graduate Program at the University of Economics and Technology of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB-ETU).