The rectors of Near East University, Eastern Mediterranean University, European University of Lefke, Cyprus International University, Kyrenia American University, and Bahçeşehir Cyprus University met with Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz in Ankara to set a common roadmap for increasing research capacity, strengthening international visibility, and stronger integration with the Turkish higher education system.
The rectors of the universities of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus met with the Vice President of Turkey, Cevdet Yılmaz, in Ankara. Present at the meeting were: Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ, Rector of Near East University; Prof. Dr. Hasan Kılıç, Rector of Eastern Mediterranean University; Prof. Dr. Mehmet Ali Yükselen, Rector of Lefke European University; Prof. Dr. Erbuğ Çelebi, Rector of Cyprus International University; Prof. Dr. Serdar Yurtsever, Rector of Kyrenia American University; and Prof. Dr. Mehmet Toycan, Rector of Bahçeşehir Cyprus University. The meeting addressed the research capacity of higher education in the TRNC, its internationalization goals, and strategic cooperation models to be established with Turkey. Also present were the Acting President of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), Prof. Dr. Metin Topcuoğlu, Member of the Turkish Presidency’s Education Committee, İbrahim Taşel, and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of International Final University, Dimağ Çağıner.
Agenda: Research, Internationalization, and Global Visibility
The meeting opened with a comprehensive presentation by the Rector of Near East University, Prof. Dr. Tamer Şanlıdağ, titled “The Research, Internationalization, and Global Visibility Capacity of TRNC Universities”. The presentation assessed data on publication productivity, publication quality, citation count, field-weighted citation impact, and patent citations of the five largest universities in the TRNC; it also addressed educational and research infrastructure, international ranking visibility, and academic awards. Vice President Yılmaz followed the presentation with great attention and interest.
The picture presented clearly demonstrated that universities in the TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) hold strategic value in terms of research output, attracting international students, creating economic value, cultural impact, and strengthening the academic dimension of Turkey-TRNC relations. The meeting continued with the discussion of two main topics proposed for realizing this potential.
Institutional Integration with the Turkish Higher Education System
The first main topic discussed at the meeting addressed mechanisms for the stronger, more traceable, and sustainable integration of TRNC universities with the Turkish higher education ecosystem. In this regard, systematizing the quality assurance and institutional audit infrastructure, creating a performance-based support framework based on research outputs and ranking performance, and opening open research calls specific to TRNC universities in programs similar to TÜBİTAK 1001/1002, without subject restrictions, were among the priority recommendations.
In addition to these, the establishment of a special “TRNC Research Partner Status” to strengthen research infrastructure and facilitate joint Turkey-TRNC projects, as well as the inclusion of TRNC universities in the annual evaluation reports of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) and international ranking monitoring processes such as THE, QS, and URAP, were also brought to the agenda. Furthermore, the possibility for Turkish Republic citizen academics working at TRNC universities to benefit from the ULAKBİM-CABİM and UBYT publication support mechanisms, and the arrangement of green passports to facilitate international academic mobility processes, were among the topics discussed at the meeting. Linking the capacity of technoparks, technology transfer, patents, and commercialization with existing support mechanisms in Türkiye also constituted a significant part of the agenda.
Balanced, Sustainable, and Quality-Oriented Development
Under the second main heading, emphasis was placed on maintaining a quality-oriented development trajectory for the TRNC higher education system beyond quantitative growth. In this context, it was proposed to ensure a strategic quota shift towards priority areas of the future such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, cybersecurity, data science, and health technologies. On the other hand, it was emphasized that Turkey needs to strengthen its diplomatic policy and visibility support against the politically motivated obstacles that occasionally target universities in the TRNC on international academic platforms. It was assessed that this support could be concretized through technical assistance in international ranking and accreditation processes, joint scientific activities, and facilitating participation in consortia.
Positioning TRNC universities as strategic stakeholders in the Turkish higher education ecosystem and transforming their existing capacities into shared scientific, technological, and social gains emerged as the main objective of the meeting.