As Istanbul Technical University (ITU), we continue to strengthen our academic and institutional engagement with the Middle East Technical University Institute of Marine Sciences (METU-IMS) as part of our efforts to enhance inter-institutional scientific collaboration.

In this context, Prof. Dr. Barış Salihoğlu and Dr. Mustafa Yücel from the METU Institute of Marine Sciences were hosted in May within the scope of the AYBE Seminar Series, organized by our institute. This event made a significant contribution to strengthening academic interaction between the two institutions. During the same period, ITU Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal met with faculty members from both institutions, sharing his views and evaluations on the development of joint projects and long-term institutional collaborations.

These reciprocal academic engagements became more visible in October through the Black Sea–Mediterranean Science Connections International Symposium, organized as part of the 50th anniversary of the METU Institute of Marine Sciences. The symposium provided an important platform for strengthening inter-institutional scientific collaboration and encouraged the exchange of knowledge and experience across disciplines, particularly in the field of marine sciences. The scientific and institutional activities carried out within this framework highlighted the METU-IMS’s more than half-century-long scientific legacy and international impact, while also pointing to the continued growth of collaboration between ITU and METU in the coming period.