International Collaboration and Research: Review Comparative Approaches and Develop International Best Practice on Tackling the SDGs?
Bahçeşehir University (BAU) actively engages in international collaboration on data collection and measurement related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This includes evaluating best practices and developing new examples of best practices to enhance effectiveness and promote sustainable outcomes.
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 collection and measurement related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Detailed information about these project examples and links directing to their e project web pages can be found below.
1.Transversal Model for Migrants Project
Transversal Model for Migrants Project, supported under the European Union Erasmus program, aims to develop a training model for teachers, educators, and counselors to equip them with the skills needed to help migrants attain higher job positions in Europe or promote their economic and social integration. This project focuses on empowering these professionals to support the development of migrants' skills.
Under this proposal, the Transversal Model for Migrants Project project, led by ITG, brings together seven partner organizations from seven different countries (France, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Bulgaria, Spain, and Turkey), including IASIS, CSI, Mindshift, BFE, SSF, and Bahçeşehir University.
These organizations collaborate to develop horizontal projects, extending their efforts beyond national borders to create common strategies and best practices aimed at seamlessly integrating migrants into European societies.
The project website can be accessed via the following link.
http://www.transversalmodel.eu/
Information regarding Bahçeşehir University's role as a project partner can be accessed through the following link.
http://www.transversalmodel.eu/?page_id=21
2.Designing an Integrated System Using Artificial Intelligence Technology to Address Water, Soil, and Energy Challenges in Olive Cultivation in Rural Areas of the Mediterranean Region Project
In 2023, an international research and mutual evaluation project titled "Designing an Integrated System Using Artificial Intelligence Technology to Address Water, Soil, and Energy Challenges in Olive Cultivation in Rural Areas of the Mediterranean Region" was launched under the leadership of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Tacer Caba from Bahçeşehir University and Barbara Bracone, director of Malta Wes Trade Ltd.
The project specifically focuses on evaluating and implementing the best practices of both countries in addressing these challenges.
The project is supported under the Bilateral Cooperation Support Program by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) and the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST).
3.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.
4.BAHCESEHIR UNIVERSITY is a PART OF THE UNITED NATIONS INSTITUTE FOR TRAINING AND RESEARCH (UNITAR) GLOBAL CIFAL NETWORK for BEST PRACTICES for SGDs
The CIFAL Global Network is composed of 31 International Training Centres for Authorities and Leaders, all coordinated by UNITAR’s Social Development Programme. The strategic locations of the 31 centres, which can be found across Asia, Oceania, Africa, Europe, the Americas, and the Caribbean ensure a global outreach. Each CIFAL centre provides innovative training and serves as a hub for the exchange of knowledge amongst government officials, the private sector, and civil society.
The central purpose of the CIFAL training programs is to develop and strengthen human capacities to better respond to development challenges and to facilitate City-to-City (C2C) partnerships. The CIFAL alliance provides a platform for dialogue and knowledge transfer on key development-related issues. Through knowledge management methodologies, CIFALs provide networking opportunities that lead to collaboration, facilitation of peer-to-peer learning, and exchange of best practices.
Bahçeşehir University is one of the 31 CIFAL centers around the world.
You can find information about Bahçeşehir University being a part of this collaboration in the link below.
5.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 as a partner in working groups below.
https://agroecology-coalition.org/members/
Agroecology Coalition has set up six Working Groups:
6.MIDIGO: Migration, Diversity and Governance Project
Migration, Diversity and Governance (MiDiGo) project’s international consortium consists of five main universities from Spain, Italy, Germany, Egypt and Turkey, which are leading research institutions in the area of Migration, Diversity and Governance.
https://bau.edu.tr/content/17326-partners
MIDIGO is an international project aimed at creating best practices by developing an internationalized and modernized program on migration, with the goal of establishing a model that can be implemented in various countries.
MIDIGO is funded by the European Union, we propose to establish a common mechanism with the project partner universities in order to create an integrated transnational master’s degree in Migration, Diversity and Governance (MiDiGo) across Europe with a special focus on Mediterranean. In order to achieve this, we aim to overcome the obstacles regarding quality assurance, accreditation and recognition of degrees and credits by the help of this proposed project.
Upon completion, our major output would be creating an internationalized and modernized program on migration with an integrated curriculum. This program would strive to reach excellence in terms of educating our students and creating a new generation who will form the qualified labor force in migration and refugee studies in terms of academy, governmental and non‑governmental organizations.
https://bau.edu.tr/content/17325-about-us
MIGRATION, DIVERSITY & GOVERNANCE ERASMUS MUNDUS DESİGN MEASURES CONFERENCE HELD BY BAU
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