The “Project Writing Camp on Horizon Europe Twinning Calls: From Call Text to Competitive Proposal”, organised under the Technical Assistance for Türkiye in Horizon Europe Project, was successfully held in İstanbul on 17–18 February 2026 with the participation of more than 40 attendees. Bringing together representatives from across the Türkiye Research Area, the two-day intensive programme aimed to support the development of more mature, coherent, and competitive project proposals under the Twinning calls.
The event opened with remarks by Ms. Merve Aydemir Aydın, TÜBİTAK WIDERA National Contact Point, and Mr. Çağrı Yıldırım, Head of the EU Framework Programmes Department at TÜBİTAK. In their opening speeches, they highlighted the strategic importance of Twinning actions in strengthening institutional capacity, fostering international collaboration, and reinforcing Türkiye’s integration into the European Research Area.
Throughout the camp, participants had the opportunity to revisit their project ideas in light of the call text and evaluation criteria. Particular emphasis was placed on ensuring coherence and persuasiveness across the Excellence, Impact, and Implementation sections, with participants benefiting from both theoretical guidance and practical feedback.
The programme was further enriched by inspiring success stories. Prof. Dr. Erkay Savaş from Sabancı University shared the experience of the enCRYPTON Project, while Prof. Dr. Filiz Onat and Mr. Cem Öztürk from Acıbadem University presented insights from the Gemstone Project. These examples demonstrated the tangible impact of Twinning projects on institutional transformation and international visibility.
Under the guidance of thematic experts Ms. Tuba Bircan and Ms. Alessandra Rossetti, participants critically reviewed their project designs, identified areas for improvement, and restructured their proposals on a more strategic foundation.
With its intensive and interactive format, the Project Writing Camp provided a valuable working environment that enabled participants to assess their existing project ideas critically, analyse their strengths and weaknesses, and develop more competitive drafts for the 2026 Twinning calls.
With its strategic focus and practice-oriented approach, the Horizon Europe Twinning Project Writing Camp stood out as an important capacity-building initiative supporting the stronger integration of Turkish research institutions into the European Research Area.
You may access the presentations used during the training here.
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