On 21 January 2026, a broadly attended sharing and briefing meeting was held at the Design Factory in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy Campus between our University and Pearson Türkiye to evaluate potential solutions in alignment with the academic objectives outlined in our 2023–2027 Strategic Plan.

The meeting was attended by the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Bahar Akingüç Günver; the Rector, Prof. Dr. Fadime Üney Yüksektepe; the Vice Rector, Prof. Dr. Burcu Yavuz Tiftikçigil; the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Dr. Ayşe Tülin Aktin; the Director of the Vocational School, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Özer; Assoc. Prof. Gamze Alptekin from the Dean of Students’ Office; the academic staff of the School of Foreign Languages; and faculty members representing various faculties.

Within the framework of the quality in education objective—one of the core components of the Strategic Plan—a wide range of potential areas of collaboration were deliberated, including micro-credentials, the development of soft skills, the enhancement of core undergraduate courses, and the strengthening of staff competencies.

The SineKültür Interuniversity Short Film Festival, which brings together young filmmakers every year, organized by the Istanbul Kültür University Department of Radio, Television and Cinema, is being held for the 7th time this year!

The festival, featuring short films in both fiction and documentary genres, will take place from May 6-8, 2026, at the Ataköy building of Istanbul Kültür University's Bakırköy Campus. Over the three days, in addition to screenings of the finalist films, workshops and discussions will also be offered to film enthusiasts.

The deadline for applications for the 7th SineKültür Interuniversity Short Film Festival, which aims to support young talent, encourage interuniversity film production, and inspire future directors, is March 20, 2026.

Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) Vocational School Head of the Program of Civil Aviation Cabin Services, Lecturer Oğuz Sönmezoğlu, together with Lecturer Sinem İkien, Responsible for Safety and Compliance Monitoring, and Lecturer Evren Yılmaz, Head of the Program of Flight Operations Management, visited the Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Thursday, January 15, 2026, to attend an informational meeting regarding the changing education and examination system.

Within the scope of the preparatory studies carried out for the course “ARC0006 Architectural Design 6,” which will be offered in the Spring Semester of the 2025-2026 Academic Year in the Department of Architecture, the project coordinators Prof. Dr. Neslihan Dostoğlu, Assoc. Prof. Asiye Akgün Gültekin, Assist. Prof. Ceren Göğüş, and Res. Assist. Merve Aksoy Oral met with Bakırköy Municipality Deputy Mayor Abdülhamit Pehlivan on January 21, 2026. During the meeting, where the subject of school buildings and potential sites were evaluated, possible collaborations on various topics in the field of architecture were discussed within the framework of the protocol signed between Istanbul Kültür University and Bakırköy Municipality.

Our Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esra Saatçı, gave a seminar titled "Future Engineering Education in Health Technologies" within the scope of "Biomedical Technologies" on January 14th. The seminar, held as part of the EEMKON 2026 program, was also attended by our Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering academics Prof. Dr. Mehmet Oruç Bilgiç, Prof. Dr. Atilla Özmen, and Assist. Prof. Ertuğrul Saatçı.

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Oruç Bilgiç, a faculty member of our Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, was honored with a plaque commemorating his 50th year in the profession.

Prof. Dr. Bilgiç has accomplished significant work in the field of Electrical and Electronics Engineering throughout his academic and engineering career, and was recognized for his half-century of contributions to science and education.

The plaque was presented by Burak Taşdemir, Head of the Chamber of Electrical Engineers (EMO) Istanbul Branch, at a ceremony held during the EEMKON 2026 (Electrical-Electronics Engineering Congress).

IKUANTS TEKMER organized the "4th Evaluation Committee" on Thursday, January 22, 2026, to evaluate companies planned to be accepted into TEKMER.

During the meeting, attended by the committee members, the companies that applied to TEKMER were evaluated in terms of their areas of activity, technology and R&D infrastructure, innovation capacity, and sustainable growth and commercialization potential. In addition, the companies' compliance with TEKMER regulations and IKUANTS TEKMER's strategic priorities was discussed.

As a result of the evaluations, decisions were made regarding the inclusion of companies in the IKUANTS TEKMER ecosystem, and roadmaps for the acceptance processes were determined.

The IKUANTS TEKMER Evaluation Committees aim to create a sustainable ecosystem that generates added value within TEKMER by ensuring that technology and R&D-focused companies are evaluated based on qualified, transparent, and measurable criteria.

Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) will host the world's largest game development marathon, Global Game Jam (GGJ). The event, organized by the Department of Digital Game Design, will take place between January 30 and February 1, 2026 (14:00-20:00) at the Ataköy building on the Bakırköy Campus.