Atatürk Üniversitesi strongly affirms its institutional commitment to conducting policy-focused research in collaboration with government departments—at local, regional and national levels—via purpose-built research programmes, strategic partnerships, government-linked projects and formal application centres. The University acts as a body (not solely via individual academics) to deliver research that informs and supports public policy formulation, implementation and evaluation.
1. Institutional Research Policy & Government Collaboration
Atatürk Üniversitesi’s Research Policy (“Araştırma Politikası”) explicitly states that the University will carry out “toplumun ihtiyaçlarına doğrudan katkı sağlayan araştırmaları” i.e., research offering direct contributions to societal needs. atakalite.atauni.edu.tr Atatürk Üniversitesi
Within this framework the University has adopted a “Bütünleşik Araştırma Modeli … gerçek hayatla bütünleşiklik; kamu-özel sektör ve sivil toplum kuruluşları (STK) ile etkileşim, araştırma ve uygulama merkezlerinin yeniden yapılandırılması ve uygulama odaklı tezler konularını kapsamaktadır.” atakalite.atauni.edu.tr
This policy establishes a structural basis for collaborative, policy-oriented research with governmental bodies.
2. Research Centres & Mechanisms of Collaboration
The University houses multiple Application & Research Centres whose portfolios include collaboration with government departments on policy issues:
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The Toplumsal Araştırmalar Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi (Social Research Application & Research Centre) was established to study regional and national social issues, in coordination with public institutions and civil society, and its strategic plan notes the need for institutional cooperation with government organisations. birimler.atauni.edu.tr
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The University also established the Araştırma Üniversitesi İzleme ve Değerlendirme Ofisi, which monitors research performance and “sektör ve odak alan eşleştirme” processes—including alignment with government-defined priority areas under the 11th Development Plan. Atatürk Üniversitesi
These units serve as operational mechanisms through which policy-focused research can be initiated, managed and linked to public sector departments.
3. Evidence of Collaboration: Government Departments, Projects and Programs
While publicly available project-specific documentation of direct government-department collaboration is somewhat limited, the University’s policy documents and institutional units indicate ongoing and structured collaboration with public bodies:
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The Research Policy and Centre strategic plans explicitly reference “kamu idarelerine ilişkin hazırlanan kanun ve yönetmelikler” when describing research domains. birimler.atauni.edu.tr
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The Institutional Internal Evaluation Report (2024) notes “araştırma-geliştirme süreçlerinde bölgesel, ulusal ve uluslararası öncelikleri göz önünde bulundurarak, dış paydaşlarla iş birliğini güçlendirmeyi hedefleyen bir araştırma-geliştirme politikası izlemektedir. Bu bağlamda, çeşitli kamu kurumları, kuruluşlar ve özel sektörle iş birliği protokollerini güçlendirmiştir.” Atatürk Üniversitesi
These passages demonstrate that Atatürk University has institutionalised protocols and partnerships with government departments for research collaboration.
4. Linking Research Outputs to Public Policy
Atatürk Üniversitesi ensures that its policy-focused research aligns with governmental priorities:
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Through the matching of university research centres with sectors defined in the 11th Development Plan and with corridor priorities of the state. The Izleme Ve Değerlendirme Ofisi is specifically tasked with “sektör ve odak alan eşleştirme toplantıları” with policy makers. Atatürk Üniversitesi+1
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The Research Policy document emphasises “bilginin değere dönüştürülmesi” and “toplumun ihtiyaçlarına doğrudan katkı sağlayan araştırmalar” which implies translation of research to policy/action. atakalite.atauni.edu.tr
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The existence of “Diğer Kurumlarca Fonlanmış Araştırmaları Destekleme Projesi” (DKAP) in the University’s BAP project-guidelines shows that Atatürk University actively pursues externally funded projects that often involve or align with public institutional needs. bapsis.atauni.edu.tr
These mechanisms ensure that research is not simply academic but has practical policy relevance and collaboration with government departments.
5. Institutional Ownership, Monitoring & Sustainability
The University takes responsibility for institutional governance of research collaborations:
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The Izleme Ve Değerlendirme Ofisi monitors research capacity, collaboration and interaction indicators, facilitating strategic oversight of policy-oriented research. Atatürk Üniversitesi
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The BAP project-system ensures research outputs, including those linked to government collaboration, are managed centrally and publicly documented. bapsis.atauni.edu.tr+1
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Strategic plans (2021-2025) of the research centres embed collaboration with “devlet kurumları” as part of their mission and objectives. birimler.atauni.edu.tr
Through these avenues, Atatürk University ensures sustainability of collaboration, institutional oversight and alignment of research with policy.
