Turkey Takes Major Step in the Metaverse Field

Turkey Takes Major Step in Metaverse Field Turkey is making a significant move in the metaverse field, which continues to hold its place on the global agenda. The Metaverse Application and Research Centre, which Istanbul Topkapı University has begun establishing, marks a first for Turkey. Metaverse, blockchain, NFT, web 3.0, artificial intelligence—in relation to these developments in the world's most discussed technology sectors, Turkey is also taking important steps at the higher education level. Istanbul Topkapı University's Faculty of Engineering announced that it will open the Metaverse Application and Research Centre, which marks a first in Turkey.

Metaverse is more than land sales

Prof. Dr. Metin Zontul, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, noted that the metaverse technology gained attention through land buying and selling, which created a narrow perspective, and explained that as a university they attach importance to the subject: "All work done in the metaverse world must have a real-world counterpart. It should facilitate human life or improve comfort, safety, learning speed and similar conditions. Metaverse has a wide range. We participated in Turkey Technology Meetings organized by the Turkish Chambers and Commodity Exchanges Union (TOBB). We saw there that sector representatives were excited about our work and projects, and we are targeting a common future. We received many collaboration offers. We want to develop a metaverse ecosystem that covers many areas with domestic companies as much as possible. Because, as I said at the beginning, we want to implement projects that will positively affect human life using domestic resources and collaborations as much as possible."

We will establish an exhibition centre in the metaverse universe

Prof. Dr. Metin Zontul also stated that their initial goal is to create an exhibition centre with an avatar system, saying: "We have a group called the Blockchain Initiative. Our team consists of academics, business people and students. We wanted to create the Metaverse Application and Research Centre as an umbrella over artificial intelligence, web 3.0, NFT, blockchain and other commercial applications. Our first goal is to create an exhibition centre in the metaverse universe with an intelligent avatar system. In this exhibition centre that can serve all sectors, there will be intelligent avatars at stands. The avatar will be able to transmit information to 100,000 people simultaneously, in world languages. Later, we plan to create a shopping centre and university in the metaverse field," he stated.

Digital game is being designed

Prof. Dr. Zontul, emphasizing that the university closely follows other technological developments and creates collaborations that bring students closer to the sector, said: "We established a digital game group in our Entrepreneurship and Incubation Centre. It became a project group targeting both entertaining and industry-related work. We have a collaboration with Workcube, a Turkish ERP software company. We planned trainings together. They selected five of our students and will employ them immediately after graduation. We spoke with a company that prepares games for the world-renowned US game company Zynga, and we will establish a game group together. We will have projects with Zaphlex company in the finance field targeting the Istanbul Stock Exchange," he explained. Speaking about the Faculty of Engineering, which they describe as a "job-guaranteed faculty," Prof. Metin Zontul provided detailed information in his remarks: "As a Faculty of Engineering, we want to provide education and training opportunities in accordance with the Engineering Education Programmes Evaluation and Accreditation Association (MÜDEK) standards. For this reason, we structure our curricula and university-industry collaborations according to MÜDEK standards. We maintain contact with our graduates. Therefore, by following up with them after graduation, we will ensure both collaboration with companies and knowledge transfer from our graduates to our students."

Job-guaranteed faculty

"Students receive project-based education in their 3rd and 4th years. Our students spend their eighth and final semester entirely at a company. We guide our students to companies before graduation. Therefore, no student at our Faculty of Engineering graduates without employment unless they choose not to work. In a sense, we can say we guarantee jobs." "We established a large Faculty of Engineering staff of 25 people. With 4 research assistants and 21 faculty members, we have academics with high sector experience, recognized by companies, whose work touches human life, and who have served at TÜBİTAK. Our academic staff was not established on paper according to YÖK procedures. All of our academics are active and in communication and interaction with our students. In project-based work, our students and partner companies work together."

Our students receive job offers before graduation

Finally, Prof. Dr. Metin Zontul stated that they address the student employment problem by producing "experienced graduates," saying: "We want students to prepare sector-oriented projects by harmonizing theoretical knowledge with industry knowledge, even before graduation. In this way, companies get to know our students and want to add them to their staff. We are becoming a faculty of a university where graduates are sought after by the business world, rather than a faculty whose graduates seek jobs. We are developing our software and hardware laboratories. We are also accelerating our scientific activities. We will begin a new term with the scientific event 'Awareness of Artificial Intelligence in Finance.' We also have joint projects with companies that have received support from TÜBİTAK," he concluded.