Our University hosted a wide range of public lectures, panels, scientific meetings, awareness-raising activities, professional information programmes, cultural and artistic events, and community education activities in 2025, in line with its commitment to lifelong learning, the dissemination of knowledge to society, and strengthening university–community engagement. These events were also accessible to individuals who were not members of the University. Such activities were not isolated initiatives, but formed an institutional component of our University’s community engagement system and its 2024–2028 Strategic Plan.
Within our University’s community engagement performance framework for the 2024–2028 period, the objective “Contributing to the development of society by disseminating knowledge to the community” is explicitly defined. Under this objective, the “number of activities organised/carried out for the dissemination of knowledge to society, including symposia, workshops, exhibitions, TV and radio programmes, conferences, seminars, newspaper interviews and public information activities” is monitored as a separate institutional performance indicator. According to the performance results published by our University, the achievement level for this indicator reached 100% in 2025. Therefore, public conferences, seminars and information activities are not treated merely as occasional events, but are planned, measured and monitored institutionally as part of the University’s community engagement activities.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/yonetim/toplumsal-katki-2024-2028-performansi
The physical infrastructure of our University also supports this approach to community engagement. KTÜ’s institutional sustainability webpage states that the Kanuni Campus is an open and accessible area for the public, and that visitors may access academic and administrative buildings, faculties and various campus areas subject to relevant security procedures. With its open spaces, cultural and congress centres and other social facilities hosting cultural and social activities, the campus enables residents of the city and other visitors to engage with the University.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/surdurulebilirlik/binalara-halk-erisimi
One of the strongest examples of this approach in 2025 was the 11th Traditional Children’s Games Festival, held on 25 May 2025 at the 15 July Democracy Square on the Kanuni Campus. Organised as part of Science, Culture and Art Week and hosted by our University, the event attracted hundreds of children and their families. The University’s official news report states that children and families were welcomed on campus and that various civil society organisations had stands at the venue, alongside games, concerts and performances for children. The event is particularly significant because participants were not limited to University students and staff; children, families and different sections of the wider community were directly welcomed onto the University campus. University representatives also explicitly expressed their pleasure in hosting the event. In this respect, the festival represents a concrete lifelong learning initiative that brings the University campus together with the community while supporting intergenerational learning, social interaction and cultural exchange.
The festival was also one of numerous activities organised as part of our University’s Science, Culture and Art Week, held between 19 and 25 May 2025. The programme included concerts, theatre performances, talks, scientific conferences, workshops, competitions and activities for children, held at various University venues such as the Atatürk Cultural Centre, Prof. Dr. Osman Turan Culture and Congress Centre, 15 July Democracy Square, sports facilities and other campus areas. For example, the scientific event entitled “Embracing the Future through Innovation in Sustainable Materials” was held at the Prof. Dr. Osman Turan Culture and Congress Centre on 23 May 2025; a talk by Güven GöktaÅŸ was held at the Atatürk Cultural Centre; Molière’s The Miser was staged on 24 May; and a Turkish Folk Music event was held on 25 May. This diversity demonstrates how the campus is used as a lifelong learning environment in which scientific knowledge, culture and social learning are shared with society.
Evidence:
https://surdurulebilirlik.ktu.edu.tr/bks2025/etkinlikler
Another strong example of community education in 2025 was the Public Asthma Meeting organised on 6 May 2025 as part of World Asthma Day. The event, organised by the Department of Chest Diseases of KTÜ Faculty of Medicine, was officially described by the University as a “public educational meeting.” Invitations were distributed through informational brochures prior to the meeting, which was held in the seminar room of the asthma outpatient clinic. Participants received education on “What is Asthma?” and on the correct use of inhaler devices. This initiative demonstrates how the University makes its healthcare and academic expertise directly available to the community and hosts public health education activities as part of lifelong learning.
Our University also organised educational and knowledge-sharing activities for external groups such as researchers, professionals and industry representatives in the wider region. One strong example was the Horizon Europe Information Day, organised jointly by TÜBÄ°TAK and the KTÜ Technology Transfer Application and Research Centre at the KTÜ Nazım TerzioÄŸlu Amphitheatre on 15 April 2025. The Horizon Europe Programme was introduced through information sessions covering different fields and clusters, and participants were provided with opportunities to meet TÜBÄ°TAK experts. The University’s official announcement explicitly stated that the event was “open to the participation of researchers and industry representatives.” This directly demonstrates that the event was not restricted to University students and staff, but was also open to the wider professional community.
Evidence:
https://ktu.edu.tr/tto/etkinlik/ufuk-avrupa-bilgi-gunu
This event was followed by the Horizon Europe Project Writing Training, held on 16–17 April 2025. The University’s 2025 event records explicitly state that the training was open to researchers and industry representatives from the Black Sea Region. In this way, the University did not limit its project-development and research expertise to its own members, but made it available to the regional research and industrial ecosystem, contributing to the professional and academic development of individuals from outside the University.
Another example of our University reaching different age groups within society was its educational and information activities for prospective students and their families. On 17 July 2025, the panel entitled “The Future is in Engineering: Now is the Time for YKS Preferences” was organised to introduce the departments of the Faculty of Engineering. The event was aimed at prospective university students and their parents, and the official announcement explicitly stated that “Participation is Open to Everyone.” It was also specifically indicated that no prior application or registration was required. During the panel, prospective students and their families received direct information from department chairs about different engineering departments and participated in interactive question-and-answer sessions. Although the event was held at a cultural centre in the city centre rather than on campus, it provides complementary evidence that our University extends its approach to lifelong learning and public education beyond the physical boundaries of the campus.
Our University also hosted numerous scientific, educational, cultural and awareness-raising activities for different age and social groups throughout 2025. In this context, the 9th KTÜ University and Career Promotion Fair, held at the Prof. Dr. Osman Turan Culture and Congress Centre on 21–22 May 2025, brought together our University with middle- and high-school students from Trabzon and neighbouring provinces, as well as other visitors. During the fair, visitors received direct information about faculties, departments, educational opportunities and professions, helping young people make more informed higher-education and career choices. The University’s official publication specifically notes that the event welcomed “students and visitors.”
Another example of our University’s activities open to society and the professional community was the Ä°KAKON Human Resources Career Congress and Fair, held between 5 and 7 November 2025. The event brought together numerous institutions, organisations and sector representatives from across Türkiye and included panels, talks, workshops and career fair activities. The University’s official statement explicitly described Ä°KAKON not only as an event for students, but as “an important career meeting for students, graduates and the people of Trabzon.” In this respect, the event represents a strong example of professional development and lifelong learning activities that were accessible to individuals outside the University.
Evidence:
https://www.ktu.edu.tr/kariyer/haber/ktu-ogrencileri-ikakon-icin-is-basinda
Taken together, these examples demonstrate that the public events organised by our University in 2025 were not restricted to a single type of activity or target group. They reached diverse sections of society, including children and families, middle- and high-school students, prospective students, graduates, healthcare professionals, researchers, industry representatives and the wider population of Trabzon. Activities ranged from scientific conferences and professional training to health-awareness programmes, cultural events and arts activities, demonstrating the University’s regular and multidimensional commitment to lifelong learning and university–community engagement.
Overall, our University hosted public events across a wide range of areas in 2025, including science, health, technology, research, professional development, culture, arts and community learning for children and families. These activities were held in University conference halls, cultural centres, faculties, healthcare facilities and open campus spaces, enabling participation by different groups ranging from children and families to patients, researchers and industry representatives.
In conclusion, throughout 2025 our University regularly hosted conferences, scientific and professional training programmes, health-awareness meetings, activities for children and families, and cultural and artistic programmes that were open to the general public and external stakeholders. These activities demonstrate that public engagement and lifelong learning are implemented systematically and across multiple areas as part of the University’s institutional approach.
