GEMSTONE Project Strengthened the Research Ecosystem Through Its Dissemination Event

Haber tarihi: 11/07/2025

Last update date: 22.07.2025

Our university hosted a two-day dissemination event titled “How to Build Your Chemogenetic Research Capacity from Scratch?” on June 17–18, 2025. Organized under the EU-funded GEMSTONE Project, the event brought together early and mid-career researchers and research support staff from Turkey and the Balkans, sharing the knowledge and experience our university has gained throughout the project.

The event focused on capacity-building in chemogenetic research related to neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease. It featured experience-based sessions and hands-on examples. Experts from Acıbadem University, including Prof. Dr. Filiz Onat, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nihan Çarçak Yılmaz, Dr. Talat Taygun Turan, and Cem Öztürk, shared their insights alongside specialists from Lund University and University of Szeged. The program covered a broad spectrum, from infrastructure planning and time management to financial tracking and data governance.

A total of 36 people attended the event, with 22 participants and 13 institutional representatives. Contributing institutions included Trakya University, Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul Medeniyet University, and Abdullah Gül University, as well as participants from Bulgaria and the USA.

Strategic networking activities conducted alongside the event laid the foundation for future collaborations. On the evening of June 17, a private meeting with researchers from Lund and Szeged focused on joint projects and researcher exchange opportunities in epilepsy research. During the closing reception on June 18, our Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Levent Altıntaş and representatives from Sofia University of Telecommunications and Post in Bulgaria discussed the idea of organizing a bilateral workshop with participation from university rectors and scientific directors.

The GEMSTONE Project not only provided practical solutions for strengthening research capacity but also paved the way for sustainable regional and international collaborations. This event marked another key step toward reducing research capacity inequalities across Europe.

For more information about the GEMSTONE Project: www.gemstoneproject.eu