Our University, in 2025, reviewed approaches adopted by different countries and institutions in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals through international networks, research partnerships, workshops, and sustainability-focused international platforms. It also contributed to the exchange of knowledge and experience and to the development of international best practices.
Sharing International Best Practices at the Global Sustainable Development Congress
Our University participated institutionally in the Global Sustainable Development Congress, held on 16–19 June 2025 in cooperation with Times Higher Education (THE) and the Council of Higher Education of Türkiye. The Congress brought together universities, policymakers, and sector representatives from different parts of the world to discuss and compare approaches to environmental, social, and economic sustainability.
The KTU delegation shared the University’s sustainability projects and experiences with the international academic community and explored new opportunities for collaboration with universities from Europe, Asia, and other regions. During the Congress, 12 new international cooperation agreements were signed.
International Cooperation, Globalization and SDG Workshops
On 11 September 2025, our University participated in the “International Cooperation, Globalization and Sustainable Development Goals Workshops”, attended by national and international universities.
During the workshops, different institutional practices relating to internationalisation, sustainable development, and international university rankings were compared, while approaches to strengthening inter-university cooperation through the exchange of knowledge and experience were discussed. This process enabled our University to examine practices implemented by other higher education institutions and to incorporate relevant good practices into its own institutional processes.
Grand Black Sea Forum and International Development of Joint Solutions
One of our University’s major examples of international collaboration in 2025 was the Grand Black Sea Forum and the underlying Transnational Technology Transfer Network for the Black Sea Basin (T3N-BSB) project.
Led by KTU, the project is implemented jointly with the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) from Greece, the Bulgarian Association for Transfer of Technology and Innovation (BATTI) from Bulgaria, and Dunarea de Jos University of Galati from Romania. The Forum brought together academia, industry, entrepreneurs, and public institutions with the aim of developing cross-border solutions and cooperation models for shared sustainability challenges in the Black Sea region.
As part of the Forum, the International Project Development and Consortium Formation Workshop brought together stakeholders from different countries and sectors to jointly develop project ideas in the areas of the blue economy, low-carbon economy, climate adaptation, resilience, and sustainability. In this way, knowledge, experience, and practices from different countries were compared and transformed into common and applicable sustainability solutions.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/ttoen/event/grand-black-sea-forum
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/ttoen/event/international-project-development-and-consortium-formation-workshop
Comparing Best Practices through International Networks
Our University is also a member of international academic networks such as the European University Association (EUA), Community of Mediterranean Universities (CMU), and Black Sea Universities Network (BSUN). Through these networks, the University contributes to the sharing and dissemination of practices developed in different countries in areas including higher education policy, quality, research, environment, energy, and sustainable development.
In addition, through international research collaborations such as the TRANSFORMIT project on sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation, our University contributes to the development of evidence-based practices and guidance that can be transferred and adapted across different countries.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/sustainability/collaboration-for-sdg-best-practice
These activities demonstrate that, in 2025, our University did not merely participate in international sustainability initiatives, but also compared approaches and practices from different countries, contributed to the exchange of knowledge and experience, and supported the development of international best practices for the SDGs through collaborative research and project development.
In particular, the Global Sustainable Development Congress, the International Cooperation and SDG Workshops, and the T3N-BSB/Grand Black Sea Forum represent concrete examples of our University’s approach to comparative learning and the development of international best practice in 2025.
