Ülker Partners with YTÜ

Ülker Partners with YTU on R&D Collaboration Ülker has signed a significant partnership agreement with Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Technology Transfer Office and Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Food Engineering Department. Ülker, one of Turkey's leading food companies, has signed a research and development collaboration agreement with the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) and Food Engineering Department of Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi. This partnership aims to bridge the gap between academia and Ülker and to accelerate R&D activities in the food sector in the coming period. Ülker, which conducts R&D activities in three different R&D Centers documented by the Ministry of Industry and Technology, has with this agreement also established an exemplary University & Industry collaboration model.

Ceremony Held at Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Davutpaşa Campus

The ceremony held at Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi (YTU) Davutpaşa campus was attended by YTU Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Bestami Özkaya responsible for R&D, Ülker R&D Vice-President Ali Sertakan and YTU Faculty of Chemistry-Metallurgy Dean Prof. Dr. Osman Sağdıç. Faculty Vice-Deans, department heads and Food Engineering faculty members also participated in the ceremony. Under the agreement, Ülker's Chocolate, Flour Products and Chewing Gum Confectionery R&D Centers will carry out joint projects with Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi (YTU) Food Engineering and related departments. The agreement encompasses numerous plans including the development of projects on national and international platforms according to needs, conducting industrial studies for student development, and will be supported by R&D culture promotion organizations and events.

"We Believe This Will Strengthen Ülker and Shape the Future of the Food Sector"

Ülker R&D Vice-President Ali Sertakan, highlighting the significance of the collaboration agreement signed between Ülker and YTTO and YTU Food Engineering, stated: "We have taken an important step towards establishing an R&D collaboration with Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Technology Transfer Office (YTTO) and Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Food Engineering Department. Through this, our Chocolate, Flour Products and Chewing Gum Confectionery R&D Centers under the Ülker umbrella will have the opportunity to develop joint R&D projects to be conducted on national and international platforms, in addition to scientific consulting support from Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Food Engineering Department and related other departments in areas where needed." One of the most important aspects of today's collaboration is in the HR field... This agreement of ours includes many opportunities for students such as academic advisor support, engineering expertise support in their projects, internship and part-time work opportunities. We believe that this agreement we have signed with YTTO will make an important contribution to our R&D and innovation activities and will strengthen Ülker and shape the future of the food sector," he stated.

"Adds Another Industry-University Partnership Through This R&D Agreement"

Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi (YTU) Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Bestami Özkaya commented on the partnership: "Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi (YTU) has been placing R&D activities at the forefront of its strategic plans in recent years and, through its publications, projects and entrepreneurship initiatives, performs as an R&D university and is ranked among the top positions in national and international rankings. With this approach, Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi (YTU), which has put its mark on many successful projects at national and international scale, is adding another Industry-University partnership through this R&D agreement with Ülker, and I wish this agreement brings positive outcomes for all parties involved," he said. Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi (YTU) Faculty of Chemistry-Metallurgy Dean Prof. Dr. Osman Sağdıç stated: "Within the framework of university and industry cooperation, we have signed an important R&D collaboration agreement with Ülker. Our university is among the top-ranked universities in the Council of Higher Education's R&D universities and places great importance on R&D. In particular, our Food Engineering department holds an important position in world rankings in R&D. We now believe that research activities at our university must be commercialized to create added value and yield results. In this context, we are directing all our research activities toward this goal. We thank the Ülker company managers who signed this agreement, which will add value to both parties, and I believe this agreement will provide important opportunities for our university."