The first “İstasyon Akademi Regional Cooperation and Consultation Meeting” — convened under the İstasyon Akademi model, of which Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU) is a stakeholder — was held with the aim of strengthening inter-university cooperation and laying the foundations of the Silk Road Universities Union. Spearheaded by the Gaziantep Governorship and Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, the meeting sought to transform public-university-industry collaboration into an institutional structure.

Hosted by Çukurova University in Adana, the meeting was attended by Adana Governor Yavuz Selim Köşger, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin, HKU Acting Rector Prof. Dr. Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan, Southeast Anatolia Exporters’ Associations Chair Ahmet Fikret Kileci, Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce Chair Tuncay Yıldırım, the Co-Chairs of İstasyon Gaziantep Entity, the rectors of 21 regional universities affiliated with İstasyon Akademi, HKU Civil Engineering Faculty Member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şafak Tercan, Electrical and Electronics Engineering Faculty Member Asst. Prof. Dr. Ali Emre Öztürk, Kalyoncu Innovation and Technology Transfer Office (KALİTTO) Director Cengiz Helvacıkara, OSB Teknokent General Manager İpek Yardım, and members of the Strategy Planning Council and Working Group.

Speaking at the meeting, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Fatma Şahin underlined that Hasan Kalyoncu University ranks 217th among the world’s greenest and most environmentally conscious universities in the GreenMetric Ranking — and 4th among Türkiye’s foundation universities — describing this achievement as an inspiring example for other institutions.

Sharing her assessment of the meeting, HKU Acting Rector Prof. Dr. Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan said: “The İstasyon Akademi model is not merely a platform for cooperation; it is a strategic step that elevates the social responsibility of universities to an institutional level. As Hasan Kalyoncu University, we are proud to be an active part of every structure that supports knowledge-based development. I would particularly like to emphasise that we are open to all forms of regional and thematic collaboration at this stage. Indeed, our student team — which won first place at TEKNOFEST with a gamification project developed around the Zeugma theme — continues its work actively. By digitally modelling our university and developing a game, this team is ready to contribute to the projects you are leading. Through robust infrastructures such as the Digital Game Laboratory we have established within our university, the Digital Entrepreneurship Centre realised with funding from the Silk Road Development Agency and the World Bank, our Teknokent, and the Kalyon Garaj Prototyping and Entrepreneurship Centre, we have positioned our university as a leader in the field of entrepreneurship. Indeed, our university ranks 28th nationwide and 8th among foundation universities in the TÜBİTAK Entrepreneurial and Innovative University Index. I would like to reaffirm that we are ready to channel this accumulated experience into joint projects in line with regional development goals.”

The meeting, led by the Gaziantep Governorship and Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, also examined data and digital communication, projects, and R&D themes through workshops with academics, with outcomes documented in formal reports. The gathering is expected to make a significant contribution to regional sustainable development, technology-based partnerships, and the role of universities in local development.