In 2025, our University provided direct technical support, mentoring, current-state assessments, company–academic matching, project development, R&D support, and technology transfer services to help local and regional industrial organisations improve energy and resource efficiency, advance their green transformation processes, and transition towards clean and low-carbon technologies. These services were delivered particularly through the KTÜ Technology Transfer Application and Research Centre (KTÜ TTM), relevant academic units, and university–industry cooperation mechanisms.
KTÜ TTM's institutional service model is based on identifying the technical and R&D needs of industrial organisations and matching these needs with the University's academic expertise. TTM identifies the R&D needs of businesses and matches them with appropriate academics, facilitates the development of academic solutions to companies' technical problems, supports the development, management, and monitoring of joint projects, and provides guidance, company matching, and project-writing support for funding mechanisms such as TÜBÄ°TAK and KOSGEB. The University also supports the preparation of service and consultancy agreements and the management of related administrative processes. Therefore, the support provided to industry is not limited to information sharing; it constitutes a structured system extending from the identification of technical needs and development of solutions to project preparation and access to funding mechanisms.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/tto/universite-is-dunyasi-is-birligi-hizmetleri
One of the strongest initiatives implemented in 2025 was the “Eastern Black Sea Green Innovation Network” project carried out under the TÜBÄ°TAK 1831 Green Innovation Technology Mentoring Programme. Within the Türkiye Green Industry Project, supported by the World Bank and coordinated by the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Industry and Technology, KTÜ TTM was authorised by TÜBÄ°TAK as a “Solution Partner” on 11 March 2025. Under this authorisation, our University became an institutional service provider offering direct technical support and mentoring services to SMEs in adapting to green transformation processes.
The service model provided to industrial organisations through the Eastern Black Sea Green Innovation Network strongly corresponds to the direct-service dimension of this THE indicator. Under the programme, the current status of SMEs in terms of green transformation is first assessed, followed by a gap analysis to identify areas requiring improvement. Appropriate technological and managerial solutions are then developed according to these needs, company-specific transformation roadmaps are prepared, and businesses are provided with guidance during the implementation of these roadmaps. Companies are also supported in preparing projects and roadmaps to access TÜBÄ°TAK and KOSGEB green transformation funding schemes.
Therefore, this system is not merely a general awareness or educational programme; it is a direct industrial service structured around the stages of current-state assessment → gap analysis → solution development → transformation roadmap → implementation guidance.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/tto/dogu-karadeniz-yesil-inovasyon-agi
One of the strongest examples demonstrating the practical implementation of this service model in 2025 is Darıca Un, a company operating in Trabzon. KTÜ TTM conducted an on-site visit to the company on 6 May 2025, during which a preliminary assessment and project-planning meeting focusing on lean and green transformation processes was carried out. Representatives of the KTÜ TTM University–Industry Cooperation Unit and project mentor Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ömer Faruk Yılmaz participated in the visit, and lean-production-oriented project activities specific to the company were initiated following the discussions.
Evidence:
https://ktu.edu.tr/tto/haber/yesil-inovasyon-kapsaminda-firma-ziyaretleri-devam-ediyor
The Darıca Un case is particularly strong evidence for the energy-efficiency indicator because the company's representative directly described the concrete outcomes of the technical support provided by KTÜ in a 2025 experience-sharing statement. Under the mentorship of KTÜ academics, methods such as 5S, SMED, Kaizen, and value-stream mapping were adapted to the specific conditions of the company, leading to improvements in time and resource efficiency within production processes.
More importantly, the company representative explicitly stated that the activities resulted in environmental benefits including energy and raw-material savings, which reduced operating costs and contributed to the company's sustainable production objectives. This demonstrates that KTÜ's services to industry were not confined to theoretical advice or consultancy but resulted in practical energy-saving improvements at the company level.
Our University's on-site services to industrial organisations were not limited to Darıca Un. On 17 October 2025, Trabzon Shipyard Shipbuilding Maintenance and Repair Industry and Trade Inc. was visited, and the company's lean transformation processes were examined on site. With the participation of KTÜ TTM experts and project mentors, company-specific lean-production-oriented project activities were initiated. KTÜ TTM explicitly defines this activity as part of its green innovation, lean production, and sustainable transformation approach.
Evidence:
https://ktu.edu.tr/tto/haber/universite-is-dunyasi-is-birligi-kapsaminda-eslestirme-calismalari
This process continued with different regional businesses throughout 2025. For example, during a meeting with Üçgen Dekorasyon on 8 December 2025, opportunities for joint projects specifically in the field of industrial efficiency were discussed, together with ways of matching the University's academic expertise with the company's sectoral needs and developing potential cooperation models.
Evidence:
https://ktu.edu.tr/tto/haber/universite-is-dunyasi-is-birligi-gorusmeleri-devam-ediyor
Similarly, KayıkçıoÄŸlu Klima ve SoÄŸutma A.Åž. was visited on site on 26 December 2025. The company's lean transformation processes were reviewed, and potential cooperation models for transferring the University's academic expertise to sector-specific needs were discussed.
Evidence:
https://ktu.edu.tr/tto/haber/universite-is-dunyasi-is-birligi-gorusmeleri-devam-ediyor-g
The system operated by KTÜ TTM in 2025 was not limited to individual company visits. The Eastern Black Sea Green Innovation Network is based on a regional consortium involving the Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Giresun Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ordu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, universities in the region, and technology transfer structures. At the stakeholder meeting held on 20 May 2025, a roadmap was developed for activities to be implemented under the TÜBÄ°TAK 1831 programme, and joint mechanisms for strengthening the green-transformation capacity of SMEs in the region were evaluated.
Our University also organised workshops and training activities aimed at disseminating knowledge and technical experience related to industrial efficiency. On 30 May 2025, a knowledge- and experience-sharing event entitled “Implementation of Lean Production Processes in Industry” was organised. The event provided businesses with information on the benefits of lean production, fundamental implementation principles, and key considerations for improving production processes.
In 2025, the Grand Black Sea Forum also extended KTÜ's technology-transfer and clean-energy capacity to a broader industrial and business audience. One of the Forum's principal themes was “Low-Carbon and Clean Energy Solutions”, bringing together companies, SMEs, corporate R&D teams, entrepreneurs, researchers, public institutions, and investors for technology and project development.
The B2B Innovation, Cooperation and Investment Meetings, held on 10 December 2025 as part of the Forum, were particularly important in terms of providing direct services to industry. SMEs and large-scale companies were individually matched with researchers, technology transfer offices, public institutions, investors, and other technology actors according to the needs, offers, and objectives specified in their applications. The meetings were explicitly designed to develop joint R&D projects, create investment and commercialisation opportunities, and prepare roadmaps for concrete collaborations.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/tto/etkinlik/b2b-inovasyon-ve-is-birligi-bulusmalari-P
As part of the Forum, a knowledge- and experience-sharing session entitled “Best Practices in Blue Economy, Climate Change and Clean Energy” was also held on 12 December 2025. Representatives from KTÜ, the Eastern Black Sea Development Agency, Trabzon Commodity Exchange, and the private sector shared their projects and practical experiences in clean energy, climate change, and sustainability. This activity supported the transfer of knowledge and experience among the University, industry, and public institutions in the field of clean energy.
Our University also operates institutional support mechanisms aimed at improving industry's R&D capacity and ability to develop collaborative projects. The training programme entitled “Application and Proposal-Writing Processes for the TÜBÄ°TAK 1505 University–Industry Cooperation Support Programme for Industry-Oriented R&D Projects”, held on 1–3 October 2025, aimed to strengthen researchers' capacity to develop joint R&D projects with industry and apply to national funding mechanisms. The programme addressed topics including contract-based R&D, publicly funded university–industry cooperation processes, technology readiness levels, and the preparation of TÜBÄ°TAK 1505 project proposals.
In conclusion, in 2025 our University did not merely provide educational or general awareness activities to industry in the fields of energy efficiency and clean/green transformation; it provided direct technical services and transformation support at the company level.
