In late September, dr inż. Iwona Staniec, who coordinates the project at TUL, and dr inż. Agnieszka Pietras, TUL Institute of Management, visited the Center for Nanotechnology and Biomaterials Applications and Research at Marmara University in Istanbul (NBUAM). Marmara University is one of the eight project partners.
The purpose of the visit was to identify opportunities for commercialization of science and research infrastructure. The meetings with had with partners from the Turkish university allowed us to gain insight into how the NBUAM Center is organized and managed, how its staff is incentivized, and what its approach to commercialization is.
Sema Gündüz, M.A., coordinator of the InterHEI project on the part of Marmara University, presented the research infrastructure that was featured in the RIC Academy delivered by the TUL team. Professor Oguzhan Gunduz, coordinator of the Research Office, introduced us to the latest work and achievements of the researchers working at the Center. Finally, professor Canan Dogan, Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, shared information about his research and his experience with commercialization.
It was very interesting for us to see and learn about the infrastructure of the Center and the research conducted there and to discuss avenues for further cooperation with the Turkish partner. Our attention was particularly drawn to the process of production of innovative wound dressings from biocompatible polymers. They may turn out to be a groundbreaking achievement in the treatment of ulcers in diabetic patients. Professor Oguzhan Gunduz encouraged us to seek opportunities to take advantage of VR technology in the process of teaching and learning.
Trying to always refer to the local context, explored were the issues of providing support to researchers and doctoral students in disseminating and commercializing their research outputs. Also salient was the topic of commercialization of the university infrastructure.
The visit proved that it is knowledge and good practice sharing is a worthwhile endeavor. The discussions were quite constructive, which carries a promise of further successful collaborative projects.