ITU is one of the 9 partners of international academic alliance EELISA, "European Engineering Learning Innovation and Science Alliance". The EELISA project, with a total duration of 36 months, includes 180,000 students, 16,000 faculty members and 11,000 administrative staff.
Redefining the Engineering
EELISA is the first alliance of Higher Education Institutions (graduate engineering schools, technology universities and full-spectrum universities) from different countries in Europe meant to define and implement a common model of European engineer rooted in society. EELISA’s acronym also pays a tribute to women engineers through the memory of Elisa Leonida Zamfirescu (1887 – 1973), one of the very first women to obtain an engineering degree in the world.
EELISA aims to transform European higher education while strengthening links between engineering and society by making a real impact on society following the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the all SDGs. We EELISA partners, envision a future where societies thrive and master global challenges with smart and sustainable solutions empowered by European engineering.
EELISA Communities for SDG based real-world challenges
The EELISA communities are mission-driven working groups that bring together students, teachers, and researchers from all partner universities with prestigious professionals, grassroots organizations, citizens, private companies, and public institutions to find innovative solutions to real-world challenges.
Each community will define its main elements: mission, challenges, people/organization, activities, and evaluation criteria.
EELISA InnoCore: Building a New Sustainable Research and Innovation Environment for Sustainability
EELISA INNOvation and COmmon REsearch Strategy (InnoCORE) is the research and innovation wing of EELISA. Based on EELISA ecosystem, its Communities and the challenges identified therein, InnoCORE is intended to delve deeper into the institutional transformation initiated by the Alliance, by focusing on its R+I dimension.
ELISA InnoCORE aims to transform the Research & Innovation dimension of EELISA by; Connecting researchers, innovators and non-academic stakeholders, and setting up a portfolio of shared scientific infrastructures; Fostering and supporting the development of joint R&I actions and the creation of new structures (research groups, clusters, joint labs, start-ups, scientific parks); Optimizing the outreach and impact of these actions. InnoCORE will also explore and work on cross-cutting issues of research: defining a common open science strategy and a gender equality plan, and analysing the cost-benefits and barriers hampering cooperation.
ITU in EELISA
As one of the founding partners of the alliance, ITU has undertaken many important tasks since the beginning of the project and takes an active role in shaping the new engineering concept with its academics, administrative staff and students.
ITU beside involving in all work packages, undertakes the leadership of "Work Package 5: Link between education, research and innovation". In addition to the intensive meetings, workshops and seminars we participate, some of the EELISA events organized by ITU are as follows;
Workshop in ITU for EELISA Communities
https://eelisa.eu/itu_workshop_communities/
Connect Day on Sustainable Cities and Communities:
https://haberler.itu.edu.tr/en/newsdetail/2021/07/28/eelisaconnect-workshop-held-at-itu
