ABOUT R&D SCHOOL
The Boğaziçi University (BU) R&D School aims to build a “continuous professional development platform” for engineers who are still in training or at the beginning of their careers, in order to develop neurotechnological solutions to challenges that threaten human health.
The initiative launched by the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (TİTCK) through the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) and Research Universities indicates an urgent need for training R&D personnel in the medical devices field. The BU R&D School aims to establish an institutional structure to meet this need and plans to address topics requiring public awareness within the framework of neurotechnology.
The project targets three groups: final-year high-school students making career choices, final-year engineering undergraduates, and engineers in the first five years of their careers.
By providing training tailored to these groups, the BU R&D School aims to create a sustainable development model that builds bridges between academia, industry, and the broader sector.
The project aims to convey the theoretical foundations of work in neurotechnology to society within Mezirow’s “Transformative Learning Theory” and “Scientific Literacy” frameworks, making them understandable, and to make critical training for knowledge transfer to industry accessible.
Its core objectives are to enhance scientific literacy, prepare training packages for the target groups, and institutionalize the BU R&D School to address the needs of industry and academia.
Four priority areas highlighted by industry stakeholders—scaling, test/analysis design, patenting, and entrepreneurship—will be addressed within the project. The training content will be structured to align directly with sector needs.
The project is based on accurately identifying the learning needs of the target groups, developing responsive content with expert contributions, and delivering the entire process through an accessible online platform. This methodological framework aims to ensure that the outputs create sustainable impact both scientifically and sectorally.
- Needs Assessment
The first stage focuses on determining the learning requirements of the target groups. Priorities include fostering career-choice awareness among high-school students and encouraging participation in R&D processes among university students and early-career engineers. Using surveys, interviews, and adapted measurement tools, qualitative and quantitative data will be collected to produce a comprehensive needs map.
- Development of Training Content
Based on identified needs and the focus areas of sibling projects, training modules will be prepared. Content will be produced by graduate students, academics, and industry experts in line with the characteristics of different target groups. The modules will be piloted to increase effectiveness and continuously improved.
- Platform Setup & Delivery
Training content will be made accessible via a Moodle-based online platform. Participants will benefit from video-based courses supported by integrated activities and online discussion environments. Participant progress will be regularly monitored, and feedback will be used to evaluate effectiveness.
- Dissemination & Sustainability
In the final stage, training modules will be regularly updated with contributions from academia and industry. The platform will be kept dynamic and adapted to evolving needs based on participant feedback. Thus, the BU R&D School will be institutionalized as a sustainable professional development model.
-
The R&D School portal has been launched, and content production and publishing processes have begun. With the online portal opened to access, users can now reach the course content. Video trainings prepared on priority themes have been uploaded; the content-development process has been structured within the framework of university–industry collaboration and enriched with expert contributions.
Courses published on the platform:
- Market Access in the Medical Devices Sector — Mehmet Onur Özel (Siemens)
- Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights — Ahmet Buğra Başer (BU)
- Engineering and Science: Foundations and Current Challenges — Prof. Dr. Feza Kerestecioğlu (BU)
- Strategic Business Planning and Development — Asst. Prof. Aytaç Durmaz (BU)
-
You can access these and upcoming courses here.