On June 18, 2025, the Physical and Natural Sciences Advanced Research Center (IKU-SPECTRA), established at Istanbul Kültür University, held its first stakeholders meeting, following the planned activities of the European Union Horizon Europe Spectroscopy@IKU ERA-Chair Project.

The “Collaboration for Innovation” meeting took place at the Prof. Dr. Önder Öztunalı Conference Hall, in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy campus. The event brought together representatives from public institutions, the private sector and academia, with the aim of strengthening university-industry collaboration, fostering a sustainable research ecosystem and promoting scientific excellence.

The opening speech was delivered by Prof. Dr. Gülce Öğrüç Ildız, Vice Rector of Istanbul Kültür University and Coordinator of the ERA-Chair Project. Following the opening talk, Prof. Dr. Rui Fausto, ERA-Chair Holder, introduced the project’s scientific focus areas and research infrastructure.

As part of the program, representatives from TÜSEB and TÜBİTAK gave informative presentations on funding opportunities provided by these institutions.

The meeting included also a round table session. During this session, leading figures from the R&D sector shared their insights and experiences on current research trends, emerging skill areas and opportunities for university-industry collaboration. The panel featured Dr. Burcu Kasapoğlu Usta (Project Management Supervisor, AbdiBio), Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail Aslan (Co-Founder and Board Member, SFA R&D), and Deniz Karaşahin (CEO, Osteoid Inc.).

The meeting concluded with visits and discussion sessions held at the IKU-SPECTRA laboratories, focusing on the center’s infrastructure and potential research collaborations.

Organized within the scope of the Spectroscopy@IKU ERA-Chair Project, this meeting marked an important step in realizing IKU-SPECTRA’s vision of contributing to strengthening national and international research collaborations.