OMU Ranks 5th Among Public Universities on YÖK’s Candidate Research University List

OMU placed fifth among six public universities under monitoring for research university status as YÖK reviewed 2026 research performance, international collaboration, ADEP projects, and initiatives to involve undergraduate students more actively in research.

Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) ranked 5th among public universities on the list of Candidate Research Universities under Monitoring announced by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK).

OMU Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın and Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Çetin Kurnaz attended the Research Universities 2026 Performance Evaluation Meeting, where the results were presented.

Hosted by Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, the meeting brought together Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz, YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, Head of the Presidency of Strategy and Budget İbrahim Şenel, university administrators, and representatives of research universities.

OMU Ranks 5th Among Public Candidate Research Universities

OMU placed fifth among the public universities included on YÖK’s Candidate Research Universities under Monitoring list.

The six public universities on the list are Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, Akdeniz University, Dokuz Eylül University, Kocaeli University, Ondokuz Mayıs University, and Selçuk University.

2026 Performance of Research Universities Evaluated

The meeting reviewed the 2026 performance of research universities and candidate institutions, projects carried out under the Research Universities Support Program (ADEP), and initiatives aimed at strengthening Türkiye’s research capacity in higher education.

YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar announced that a new initiative would be launched to strengthen Türkiye’s position in the global competition for researchers and talent. He said the initiative would seek to attract successful and promising young researchers among international doctoral students to Türkiye and its universities.

Özvar also stated that some projects supported through ADEP would be opened to the participation of international researchers and emphasized the importance of research universities developing joint projects with higher education institutions and research centers in other countries.

Greater Undergraduate Participation in Research Discussed

Another focus of the meeting was the development of a research culture beginning at the undergraduate level.

Özvar emphasized that students should become involved in research as early as possible and highlighted the importance of providing them with greater responsibility in research projects, laboratory studies, and field research.

University–industry collaboration was also discussed, including efforts to affiliate doctoral-level researchers working in industry and other sectors with universities.

Participants were informed that 571 national and international researchers had been affiliated with universities under Additional Articles 46 and 34 of Türkiye’s Higher Education Law No. 2547.

2026 Research University Performance Ranking Announced

The 2026 Research Universities performance ranking was also announced during the meeting.

Among the 23 research universities included in the ranking, Koç University ranked first, Sabancı University second, and Middle East Technical University third.

Discussions also addressed how data on universities’ research capacity, scientific output, and performance indicators can be used to inform the development of research policies.

Focus on Internationalization and Societal Impact

The meeting also highlighted the importance of strengthening the international visibility of research universities, expanding collaboration with international researchers, and translating scientific research into broader societal impact.

Özvar emphasized that, alongside producing scientific knowledge, universities should develop practical responses to social, economic, cultural, and environmental challenges.

During the afternoon session, the 2026 performance of research universities and projects carried out under ADEP were further evaluated.