The Focused Group Training on Horizon Europe Research Infrastructures, organised under the Technical Assistance for Türkiye in Horizon Europe Project, was held on 16 February 2026 in İstanbul with the participation of nearly 40 attendees. Bringing together representatives of research infrastructures from across the Türkiye Research Area, the event provided an important platform for strategic positioning and integration within the European Research Infrastructure ecosystem.
The event opened with remarks by Mr. Çağrı Yıldırım, Head of the EU Framework Programmes Department and Horizon Europe National Coordinator at TÜBİTAK. In his address, Mr. Yıldırım highlighted Türkiye’s current position within Horizon Europe, its strategic orientation within the European Research Area, and the importance of strengthening the role of Turkish research infrastructures in European partnerships.
The programme was also attended by TÜBİTAK National Contact Points Mr. Hasan Burak Tiftik and Ms. Ebru Soyuyüce Aydın, Research Infrastructures National Contact Point. Ms. Soyuyüce Aydın provided participants with a general briefing on the training framework and outlined the key themes to be addressed throughout the day.
The training, supported by thematic expert Mr. Ian Gauci Borda, offered a comprehensive overview of the European Research Infrastructure ecosystem. Discussions addressed ESFRI processes, European governance structures, and their interconnections with Horizon Europe calls, while exploring strategic approaches to strengthen the positioning of Turkish research infrastructures at the European level.
Dr. Salih Hacıalioğlu (TÜBİTAK ARGES) delivered a presentation on the National Research Infrastructure Roadmap and Law No. 6550, highlighting the alignment of national capacities with European processes. Open Science and the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) were addressed by Mr. Gültekin Gürdal, Director of the IZTECH Library, who shared concrete perspectives on the integration of Turkish research infrastructures into the European research environment.
Türkiye’s experience within European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) was presented by Prof. Dr. Murat Özgören, ESFRI Türkiye Representative, while Ms. Özlem Yalçın Seyhan (KUTTAM) shared a practical case study on the Turkish National Node within EATRIS ERIC, providing insights into operational models and European integration pathways.
With its strategic content and interactive structure, the Focused Group Training on Research Infrastructures stood out as an important capacity-building activity, contributing to the enhanced visibility, integration, and leadership potential of Turkish research infrastructures within the European Research Infrastructure ecosystem.
You may access the presentations used during the training here.
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