PARTICIPATE in INTERNATIONAL COLLOBRATION on GATHERING/MEASURING DATA for SDGs
Bahçeşehir University (BAU) actively engages in international collaboration on data collection and measurement related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
As part of this commitment, BAU participates in research projects with international universities and acts as a strategic partner with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), supporting research processes related to eliminating hunger and advancing agricultural initiatives within global consortia. The key areas of collaboration include the establishment of a "Learning, Research and Application Platform", technical cooperation on digital transformation and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in food systems, and gender equality and the empowerment of rural women. Activities under this platform encompass capacity development, knowledge exchange, research, innovation, and data sharing, with a focus on promoting sustainable practices.
https://www.fao.org/partnerships/news-achive/news-article/ru/c/1538742/
https://www.fao.org/partnerships/news-achive/news-article/ru/c/1538742/
Additionally, BAU is a strategic partner of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and hosts CIFAL Istanbul, one of the 31 CIFAL centers worldwide. CIFAL Istanbul operates within BAU, playing an active role in various processes related to data measurement and evaluation across a broad range of SDGs. https://cifalistanbul.org/
In addition to these partnerships involving research, data collection, measurement, and the evaluation and development of best practices for the SDGs, Bahçeşehir University (BAU) actively continues its role as a partner in numerous international research projects related to the SDGs. Below, detailed information about these project examples and links directing to their respective project web pages can be found.
1.Highlighting the Potential of English Language Learning for Global Education Purposes Projec
The Hi Globe project is an international research and application development initiative carried out in partnership with Bahçeşehir University (Turkey), PELICAN Language School (Czech Republic), PRISM (Italy), the Foundation for the Development of International and Educational Activity (FRAME) (Poland), the European Center for Quality Ltd. (ECQ) (Bulgaria), and PROMIMPRESA (Italy). The project is supported by the ERASMUS program.
In today’s world there is a huge need for responsible, informed and globally oriented citizens. The HI-GLOBE project is highlighting and using the potential of English-language learning to support adult learners to connect, be aware and more responsible in civic and social life. HI-GLOBE intends to identify and develop the best possible pedagogies that can support the idea that language learning will be not only a goal but a tool for the further development of individuals towards a more sustainable society.
Based on the socio-cognitive approach of second-language acquisition, the language learning shall not be only a cognitive, isolated process, but it shall happen in a highly interactive, playful way. The interactive and innovative HI-GLOBE learning modules developed within the project will not only help the language learners to increase their global citizen competences, but also make it easier to improve their language skills, since the learning will take place in a much more holistic, socio-cognitive environment.
The project website can be accessed via the following link.
2.Defining Standards in STE²AM Education Project
The project website can be accessed via the following link.
3.The SAVE FOOD Research and Solutions Project
The initiative SAVE FOOD was created in 2011 by Messe Düsseldorf, interpack and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with the goal to reduce food loss and food waste worldwide.
It has been restarted with new forward-looking projects. One of these is the research project by Bahçeşehir University (BAU) Istanbul, which studies how to manufacture biodegradable packaging material for food from food waste or from byproducts of the food industry.
For this international research project, 28 BAU students from different courses of study – bio-engineering and bio-medical engineering, industrial design, industrial engineering and management, computer engineering, molecular biology and genetics, electrical engineering/electronics and energy systems technology – have assembled in six teams.
As preparation, they enrolled in courses on topics like food packaging, materials science, design thinking and applied nanotechnology. The project took off in the middle of December 2022, and the teams were given three months to complete their projects.
The results are truly something to be seen: For example, for packaging dry foods, a bioplastic wrap made of kombucha SCOBY was developed, made from waste material of oranges and tea leaves. Another team implemented the idea of packaging strawberries under a protective atmosphere using integrated nano wrap made from PLA and rice husks. For sweets, one team developed a 3D printed pectin film, another produced double-layer food packaging from banana leaves, seashells and watermelon rinds. Packaging for meat, made from nano wrap and pomegranate peel, as well as a beeswax-coated inner sleeve for milk cartons, were also among the student teams’ ideas.
Two projects made it into the final selection of the jury: the SCOBY bioplastic wrap made of waste tea leaves and oranges and the protective packaging for strawberries made from PLA and rice husks.
“All the concepts that were entered for the challenge have the potential – after some improvements – for practical use”, says Zeynep Tacer Caba, Assistant Professor at the faculty for engineering and natural sciences at Bahçeşehir University, who is responsible for the project.
https://www.save-food.org/en/Projects/Projects/SAVE_FOOD_research_project
4.FUTURE WOMEN: "Creating New Opportunities for Women in Digital and STEM Economies" PROJECT
Future Women is an international research and best practice development project, supported by the European Union's Erasmus program and conducted in partnership with eight organizations from different countries. The project aims to enhance the capacity of women in the technology sector, a field where they are underrepresented. It aligns with the goals of gender equality, quality education, and partnerships for sustainable development.
https://future-women.eu/partners/
FUTURE WOMEN project intends to promote digital and entrepreneurial competences of women relevant to STEM jobs through the innovative use of digital teaching and learning materials and tools. It will address digital transformation through the development of digital readiness, resilience, and capacity.
5.DIGICULTGAME: Innovative Tools To Digitize The East And West Cultural Heritage: A Digital Game Design Methodology Project
Cultural heritage is a common value that should be transferred from the past to the future. This value is under threat due to natural disasters and human activities.
In this project, it is aimed to digitize the tangible and intangible cultural heritage values in order to transfer the cultural heritage to future generations and to deliver them to the youth by transforming them into digital game fictions. The developed training methodology will be transferred to the E-learning platform.
BAU is a member of the international project:
https://digicultgame.ogu.edu.tr/Sayfa/Index/12/project-team
https://digicultgame.ogu.edu.tr/Sayfa/Index/13/consortium
The project will generate outputs through various methods of international data collection and evaluation, such as Background Analysis, Case Study Reports, and Performing Player Awareness Analysis. Additionally, it will produce outputs by assessing and implementing best practices in the field through the development of Innovative Training Modules, aimed at preparing for the transformation of Cultural Heritage into digital game design. The initiative will include the Establishment of an E-Learning Platform, supplemented by E-Learning Content Videos, Documentary Videos, and an E-Book. These components are designed to ensure comprehensive learning and dissemination of insights within the relevant field.
https://digicultgame.ogu.edu.tr/Sayfa/Index/16/outputs
The main output of the project is the training methodology developed for "transferring tangible and intangible values todigital game designs by digitizing for the sustainability of cultural heritage". By making a pilot application of the developed training methodology, sample games will be designed. Cultural awareness change in young people playing these games will be analyzed. Later, the revised training modules will be transferred to the E-learning platform as an open training resource.
The training methodology developed for the "digitalization of tangible and intangible cultural heritage values and transferring them to digital game setups", which is the main output of the project, will be transformed into an E-learning platform and aimed to be used widely. Users of the platform will be able to design a digital game with their own cultural values by seeing training modules and sample videos. Thus, it will be possible to see and learn about different cultures in digital games.
6.Feminist Epistemic Justice In The EU And Beyond (Fejust) Project
Feminist Epistemic Justice in the EU and Beyond (FEJUST) is a Jean Monnet Chair supported by European Commission under Erasmus+ program. It is coordinated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rahime Süleymanoğlu-Kürüm, at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul.
The FESUJST project is an international initiative supported by the European Union, carried out in partnership with faculty members from Bahçeşehir University (Turkey), Lancaster University (UK), the University of Liverpool (UK), the University of Aberdeen (UK), and Yeditepe University (Turkey). https://bau.edu.tr/content/17375-project-team
FEJUST builds on a feminist agenda of EU politics and embraces epistemic diversity through its content, activities, and teaching pedagogies. This chair aims to address the epistemic injustice women are exposed to in the political discourse of EU politics and encompasses a feminist and epistemically pluralistic rationale towards researching, teaching, and discussing EU-related topics from main- and male-stream areas ranging from foreign policy to cultural policies.
The project website can be accessed via the following link.
https://bau.edu.tr/content/17374-about-us
7.Bahçeşehir Üniversity as a Member Of Agroecology Coalition to Transforming Food Systems
The multiple interlinked crises in food, climate, and biodiversity present both an urgency and an opportunity to bring together diverse forces and sectors to support a bold proposition put forward by a wide range of actors: transforming food systems through agroecology.
In 2021, the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) focused attention on the need for concerted action to rethink food systems.
The Coalition was set up in this context to provide a mechanism for countries and organizations to collaborate on food systems transformation through agroecology to address multiple crises simultaneously.
The Coalition’s work is guided by the 13 principles of Agroecology defined by the High-Level Panel of Experts for Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE-FSN) of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) that are aligned with the 10 Elements of Agroecology adopted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)’s Council in December 2019.
Today, the Coalition has established itself as an important voice for agroecology in different spaces, including in high-level policy dialogues. Its work and this strategy aim to amplify voices that need to be more widely heard and heeded and to strengthen the impact of its members through collective effort.
The Agroecology Coalition supports the acceleration of food system transformation through agroecology and the implementation of country pathways in five workstreams:
https://agroecology-coalition.org/principles-and-vision/
At the front and center of the Coalition are its members from different stakeholder groups and regions. Our diverse and growing membership gathers around 300 members. Bahçeşehir University is one of the members of the coalition and serves a a partner in working groups below.
https://agroecology-coalition.org/members/
Agroecology Coalition has set up six Working Groups:
EN
