Researchers Meet Innovators & Turkey Chapter Annual Meeting 2022

During the event participants will discuss how to contribute to innovation covering a large variety of roles in the value chain. The event has been designed for people from research, start-up, not-for-profit, and corporate environments, who wanted to learn more about innovation and how researchers and innovators can synergistically and successfully work together.

This one-day meeting will collaborate with KWORKS. In addition, the event held as the collaboration between Bridging Science and Business Working Group and Turkey Chapter.

The language of the event will be in English and FREE OF CHARGE. However, the number of the seats available is limited.

Please register through this link: https://bit.ly/ResearchersMeetInnovators2022

Venue: KWORKS Koç Üniversitesi Girişimcilik Araştırma Merkezi, 19 Mayıs, Golden Plaza, 19 Mayıs Cd. No:3 Kat:1, 34360 Şişli/İstanbul, Turkey

Agenda

Session I: Introduction to MCAA and KWORKS

16:00 - 16:10 C. Ceyhun Arslan (MCAA and Koç University, Turkey) - Introduction to the MCAA Turkey Chapter

16:10 - 16:20 Murat Güneş (MCAA and EBY University, Turkey) - The Introduction to the MCAA Bridging Science and Business Working Group

16:20 - 16:35 Beril Boyacıoğlu Bakır (KWORKS, Koç University, Turkey) - Introduction to KWORKS

Section II: Experiences in Bridging Science and Industry

16:35 - 16:55 Pavlo Bazilinskyy (MCAA and Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands) - Working in Academia and Industry in the Netherlands

16:55 - 17:15 Emel Sokullu (Koç University, Turkey) - Between Promises and Pitfalls: The Impact of Bio-Research on the Translational Way to Industry and to Bedside

17:15 - 17:30 Coffee break

17:30 - 17:50 Joaquín Capablo (MCAA and Campus of International Excellence of the Ebro Valley, Spain) - Innovation and Research from the Point of View of Industry and Academia

17:50 - 18:10 Nelson R. García Polanco (CIRCE, Spain) - Managing Innovation & Technology in Industries: a Vision from the Industry-Academia Relationship

18:10 - 18:30 Q&A and final remarks

The Speakers

C. Ceyhun Arslan

His talk will first discuss the role of the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) Turkey Chapter and then provide a list of opportunities it presents for researchers. It will first discuss the main goals of the Chapter, such as providing networking opportunities that foster collaborations among researchers from different disciplines, disseminating scientific research findings with non-academic communities in Turkey, and raising awareness about EU-funding opportunities. Later, the talk will contextualize the Turkey Chapter within the larger MCAA framework, as it will discuss working groups, such as the MCAA Bridging Science and Business and MCAA Career Development Working Groups, with which the MCAA Turkey Chapter can collaborate. It will also inform speakers about the annual MCAA General Assembly. Finally, the talk will touch upon the past activities that the MCAA Turkey Chapter organized and some future events it plans to organize in the new few months.

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Murat Güneş

Murat Gunes earned his Ph.D. in Micro & Nanotechnology at METU. During his career, Dr. Gunes founded startups Enerins and He3 Llc. He completed the Marie S. Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Paris Sud, France. Thermoelectrics and magnetism, microfluidics, and materials and measurement sciences are among his research interests. He volunteers as the Chair of the Bridging Business and Science Working Group at the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA), where he was formerly Secretary. He is a founder member of the Turkish Chapter and Science Diplomacy Task Force of the MCAA. He is an MC member and STSMs coordinator of the Researchers Mental Health Observatory Cost Action project. Gunes regularly organizes conferences and workshops. He was invited to Science Diplomacy Workshop as an expert and gave a talk at the World Science Forum in Budapest. Murat Gunes is a supporter of gender equality and inclusion, science diplomacy, and science policy. He was involved in several projects such as Net4Sugar, ResearchAbility, Phygital, and Food.

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Beril Boyacıoğlu Bakır

Dr. Bakır is the manager of KWORKS, Koç University Entrepreneurship Research Center. As KWORKS manager, she is responsible for designing and executing various accelerator programs geared towards the needs of technology start-ups at different stages. She also teaches courses on lean start-up methodology, testing business ideas, exit strategies for start-ups, and preparing & presenting a pitch deck. Prior to her position at KWORKS, she worked as a project manager for a year at Turkcell. Before that, she worked at the project management department of TÜBİTAK SAGE, the defense industries research and development institute of TÜBİTAK, as a senior researcher for 6 years. Dr. Bakır holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from Middle East Technical University, an M.B.A degree from Bilkent University, and a Ph.D. degree from Koç University, in Management and Strategy. She received an academic excellence award for her PhD research from Koç University. Her research focus is on entrepreneurship and innovation management.

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Pavlo Bazilinskyy

Pavlo Bazilinskyy is an assistant professor at TU Eindhoven focusing on AI-driven interaction between automated vehicles and other road users. He finished his PhD at TU Delft in auditory feedback for automated driving as a Marie Curie Fellow, where he also worked as a postdoc. He was the head of data research at SD-Insights. Pavlo is a treasurer of the Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) and was a director of the Research and Innovation Unit of the Erasmus Mundus Association (EMA).

Working in Academia and Industry in the Netherlands

It is a difficult question: academia or industry? The Netherlands offers a good work-life balance, which is favorable for people who wish to be on the edge of academia and business. Working part-time at a university TU Delft and a startup SD-Insights allowed me to learn from two very different worlds. In both placements, I was working on a similar topic. And by combining these two jobs I was able to get 7 days' worth of work in 5 days. Very often I would be able to optimize the shortcomings of the system linked to one job by my experience in the other job. Such an experience allowed me to start a tenure track at TU Eindhoven, where I am currently optimizing the academic environment with my industrial skills as well. I will share my story and provide a stage to discuss if everyone academic should also be entrepreneurial.

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Emel Sokullu  

Emel Sokullu is a Physics Engineer who graduated from Istanbul Technical University with an M.Sc. degree in Materials Science & Engineering from Izmir Institute of Technology and Phd. degree in Bioengineering at Ege University. She did her postdoc study at Harvard Medical School & M.I.T. Health Sciences and Technology Programme on brain tissue engineering. She has started at Izmir Katip Celebi University Bioengineering Department as an Assistant Prof. in 2013, and she initiated as a founder SOLAB R&D Company with TUBITAK BIGG support in 201. She has joined to Leaders of Innovation Fellowship program run out by the Royal Academy of Engineering in London UK and she has been granted several awards for her commercialization projects from TTGV, Acıbadem Kuluçka Merkezi, etc. In September 2019, she has joined Koç University Medical Faculty Biophysics Department and Koç University Translational Medicine Research Laboratory. She is a member of the Society for Neuroscience (SFN), FENS (Federation of Neuroscience Societies in Europe), Turkish Biophysics Society, and IEEE.

Between Promises and Pitfalls: the Impact of Bio-Research on the Translational Way - to Industry and Bedside

Our world is changing at an ever-increasing pace and new bio-research, related technologies, materials, and innovations emerge on almost a daily basis. In this evolving landscape, the fields of science grow more interconnected as scientific processes and theories inspire the daily life of us and vice versa. Bridging the gap between industry and academia presents new opportunities, which allows us to address societal and environmental needs. Biological sciences and medicine - as specific topics which have a direct impact on human lifespan- create entirely new perspectives of the world we live in, in a profoundly different manner. In this regard, the meaning of scientific impact and its measurement methods are also changing. While the impact of science is evolving and shaping our evolution, it has opened up new approaches to life not available to other species. In the mean of accelerating technological change by gaining a deeper understanding of how the natural world works, using this insight to create more effective technologies and more innovative ways to use them is triggering 'translational research' which comes to the industry at first then to bedside.

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Joaquín Capablo  

Joaquín studied chemical engineering at the University of Zaragoza, with an Erasmus experience in Germany and an internship at Bosch. With a PhD in Fluid Mechanics at LIFTEC (a CSIC’s Research Center), several stays (CHEC-DTU, IREC, FURV), and some teaching experience as FPU Fellow (from Spanish Government), his research field includes thermal, fluid, and chemical technologies. After his PhD, Joaquín was awarded a 2-years Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship as an Experienced Researcher in Italy on an IAPP project (Green Kitchen) involving a company (Whirlpool) and 3 Universities in 3 countries (SUPSI, Politecnico di Milano, and the University of Wroclaw). Afterward, Joaquín was recruited by the Bosch Group for its Heat Pump Competence Center. He is currently working for Campus Iberus, a Consortium of International Excellence of 4 universities, as coordinator of a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Programme (Iberus Experience) for postdoctoral researchers.

Innovation and Research from the Point of View of Industry and Academia

In his presentation, Joaquin will describe his experience both in industry and academia, in international global corporations, research centers, and SMEs, with some focus on the assortment of soft skills (communication, time management, negotiation, conflict resolution…) that could be valuable to be successful both in your professional career and in your personal life. The variety of competencies that you can learn from both sectors will be pointed out as a huge benefit, allowing a mutual understanding among different professional groups, contrary to the common misconception that a transition from academia represents a failure in a career. Furthermore, the key factors to get your dreams to become reality will be highlighted. The need for a personal development career plan, including continuous improvement and learning, the importance of networking, and a positive attitude facing challenges will also be underlined as essential to have a good quality of life while achieving goals and objectives.

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Nelson R. García Polanco  

Currently, Nelson is a thermal management expert and project manager in the Energy and Industry area of CIRCE. He is an Aeronautical Engineer collegiate member of the Colegio Oficial de Ingenieros Aeronáuticos de España, with a MPhil in Thermal and Aerodynamics Engineering at Simón Bolívar University, Venezuela. He also obtained a second MSc in Fluid Dynamics at the University of Zaragoza, Spain, and an Executive Graduate Program in Innovation Management at MIP Business School of Politecnico di Milano, Italy. He has over 20 years of professional experience in technology development and applied research in thermal management and fluid dynamics engineering, both in big corporations and in academia. In his experience in the industry, he has worked in research and development for Whirlpool Corporation in Italy, leading the product development and innovation processes, and collaborating with other companies such as PANASONIC (Joint venture) and with the Sandia National Laboratories in California, USA (Development Agreement). These activities include the implementation of national (Venezuela, Spain, and Italy) and international projects (e.g. POLYNSPIRE; H2020-SPIRE, GREENKITCHEN; FP7, HEO; LIFE, K12; LIFE), he has been awarded the LIFE Best of the Best Environmental Project Award for the HEO Project, among other international awards. As a result, he has 12 international patents, as a result of his work in product innovation, and published several scientific and technical articles(20) in specialized journals and professional magazines; also, he has been invited as keynote speaker at important international conferences in numerical simulation, energy storage, and heat transfer.

Managing Innovation & Technology in Industries: A Vision from the Industry-Academia Relationship

The great challenges that industries face today make innovation essential, not only to improve competitiveness but even for their survival. Often with little to show for all the money they had invested in research innovation, combined with an increasingly competitive market due to globalization, many companies realized that they needed to look beyond their own walls to innovate. The idea that the next new focus might not come from in-house research has led many companies to shift their R&D spending abroad through collaborations with startups and “academia”. This speech aims to present a critical look at the characteristics of the university-industry relationship, when it comes to innovating in what is known as open innovation, and raises certain aspects that are important to improve, such as, the establishment of common concepts in innovation, technology transfer, research projects and the personnel two-way mobility between industry and academia.

The Organizers

The Chairs: Murat Güneş (Bridging Science and Business Working Group) and C. Ceyhun Arslan (Turkey Chapter)

Team Members: Jeanne Svensky Ligte (Communication Task Force - Website) and Michele Dei (Social Media)