YÖK's Research Universities Meeting was hosted by Yıldız Technical University. The summit highlighted the rise in global rankings and announced that Scopus data would be used in scientific measurements starting in 2026.
YTU rose one place compared to last year, ranking 6th in the general rankings, and consolidated its 4th place among state universities.
The Council of Higher Education (YÖK), which directs Türkiye's science and technology policies, held the Research Universities Evaluation Meeting hosted by Yıldız Technical University (YTÜ) on December 4, 2025. Held at the YTÜ Davutpaşa Historical Hamam, the meeting witnessed critical decisions shaping the future vision of Turkish higher education.
The meeting, chaired by YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, was held with the participation of YÖK Executive Board members, rectors and vice rectors of 23 research universities, and 6 universities in the candidate monitoring process.
"Our goal is to have two Turkish universities in the top 100"
At the meeting, Council of Higher Education President Erol Özvar outlined a comprehensive perspective on the global competitiveness of Turkish higher education, stating that the process of transitioning from quantity to quality has begun to bear fruit. He said, "The performance of our research universities has been steadily and noticeably increasing over the last three years. In the QS 2026 world rankings, six of our universities have entered the top 500, and 11 have entered the top 1000. It is gratifying that none of our universities have fallen in this ranking. Middle East Technical University and Istanbul Technical University are in the top 300 range, while Koç, Boğaziçi, Sabancı, and Bilkent universities have consolidated their positions within the top 500. In line with our institution's 2024-2028 strategic vision, we aim to have at least two universities in the top 100 and ten universities among the top 500 within five years. The ultimate goal we aim to achieve with these rankings is to maximize the quality of our universities on a global scale."
YÖK President Erol Özvar also touched on defense industry collaborations, continuing: "We are now crowning the success we achieved with the ASELSAN Academy with TUSAŞ. Eight of our research universities will be partners in this program, for which protocol preparations have been completed. Furthermore, as part of our internationalization vision, Gazi University will begin its Faculty of Education in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. We fully support all universities wishing to open programs abroad."
"Performance culture has become ingrained"
Addressing the technical details of the process and the monitoring methodology , Acting President of the Council of Higher Education, Prof. Dr. Naci Gündoğan , pointed out that research-focused specialization has become an institutional culture, saying, "Today, we are not simply announcing a ranking; we are taking an x-ray of the R&D capacity of Turkish higher education. The research university program is a dynamic and living process. The upward momentum in performance indicators proves that a 'competitive performance culture' has been established at our universities. We are improving our measurement quality by centering our monitoring criteria on global standards, particularly comprehensive databases like Scopus. The increasing number of candidate universities demonstrates the high level of effort and motivation required to enter the system. This competition is the most important driving force directly contributing to Turkey's scientific output."
"We are talking about the future at the point where history and science meet"
Yıldız Technical University Rector Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik, who hosted the meeting, emphasized the university's strong position in the research league and the importance of the summit, saying, "As Yıldız Technical University, which combines centuries-old expertise in engineering and science with the power of the technopark ecosystem, we are deeply honored to host this strategic meeting of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK). Research universities are strategic centers that generate added value for our country, in addition to producing academic knowledge and publications. As the YTÜ family, we are determined to further advance our leading role in both defense industry projects and sustainable technologies. I wholeheartedly believe that the decisions taken here today and the expanding family of research universities will contribute greatly to our country's 'National Technology Initiative' vision and its prestige in the international scientific community."
YTU Rises to 6th Place in the General Rankings
The 2025 Performance Rankings, shared with the public at the meeting, attracted considerable attention, as did the race to the top. Koç University topped the list, followed by Sabancı University and Middle East Technical University (METU). Istanbul Technical University (ITU) came in fourth, and Boğaziçi University came in fifth.
Yıldız Technical University (YTU) rose one place from last year to 6th overall and solidified its 4th place among state universities. YTU was followed by İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, Hacettepe University, and İzmir Institute of Technology (İYTE).
Sakarya University, having successfully completed the two-year monitoring process, has been promoted to the Research University league. With this development, the family of research universities, Türkiye's driving force of scientific production, has expanded. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan University, İstinye University, TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Istanbul Medipol University, and Özyeğin University have been granted Candidate Research University status for the first time and are now included in the monitoring process. This brings the number of candidate universities included in the monitoring process to 10.
Scientific Support Budget Exceeds 1 Billion TL
At the meeting, universities' performance reports were discussed, and the extent of financial support provided to the research ecosystem was also announced. It was reported that the budget provided under the Research Universities Support Program (ADEP) had surpassed the 1 billion TL threshold by 2025. Signaling a radical change in academic performance measurements, the board announced that monitoring and evaluation processes would be based on the Scopus database, replacing the Web of Science, starting in 2026.
"TUSAŞ" Move in the Defense Industry
It was announced that a similar graduate education model to the successful one implemented with ASELSAN will be implemented with Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TUSAŞ). This new program, which has completed the protocol phase and has eight research universities as stakeholders, aims to develop the qualified research workforce needed by the defense industry through university-industry collaboration.
As part of its internationalization strategy, it was emphasized that Gazi University would establish a joint "Faculty of Education" with a Kazakh university in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, and that integration with the Turkic world would be deepened following the establishment of joint universities in Baku and Tashkent.
You can access the meeting speeches from the links below.
Speech by YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol ÖZVAR