The Middle East Technical University (METU) is one of Turkey’s premier public universities with a stellar reputation for its highly trained graduates in scientific, technical, and professional fields. Within METU, Center for European Studies (CES) was founded in 1997 as a highly productive training and research institution and it has an interdisciplinary academic composition. Since its inauguration, the Center has actively engaged in teaching and research on policy and politics in Europe in general and the process of social and political transformation in Turkey on the way to EU membership.
CES organizes as the coordinator and participates as a partner in numerous transnational research projects. The management experience of CES-METU also includes training programmes on various dimensions of European integration for academics, practitioners, and civil society in Turkey under different EU and national funding schemes. In addition to these, the Center has cooperated with prominent European research centers and NGOs to organize conferences and seminars and has been a member of European academic networks, such as TEPSA, EUROMESCO, ECPR and UACES.
The Center has also been the forerunner in the launching of a Joint Master’s Programme on the Euro- Mediterranean Affairs by the Network of Mediterranean Universities and other Academic Institutions (MAEM-MEMA). In recognition of its achievements to stimulate and improve the debate, knowledge, research and training on European Integration, the Center has been awarded the title of Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence (JMCE) in 2007, which provided a major impetus to the teaching and research activities of the Center by advancing its institutional and research capacity in European Studies to become a leading Center of Excellence in the region. As part of this goal, the Center has been concentrating its efforts on forming institutional networks with various research centers and universities in Europe to undertake joint research projects. Some recent research projects include Jean Monnet Network projects, LEAP, BordEUr and VIADUCT; a Horizon2020 project, FEUTURE; FP7 projects, PRIMO, SAHWA and FESSUD. Through the JMCE activities, the Center was able to diversify teaching, research, and outreach activities while reaching an extended audience. Bringing all these qualities together in its structure, the Center continues to provide a unique venue for the meeting of a variety of research interests and disciplinary approaches on different social science topics.
The persons responsible for VIADUCT activities are:
- Dr. Atila Eralp
- Prof. Dr. Özgehan Şenyuva
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