The Grand Black Sea Forum was organized as an activity of the “Transnational Technology Transfer Network for the Black Sea Basin (T3N-BSB)” project, which is funded under the Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin Programme and implemented under the leadership of the Karadeniz Technical University Technology Transfer Application and Research Center (KTU TTC), in partnership with the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) from Greece, the Bulgarian Association for Transfer of Technology and Innovation (BATTI) from Bulgaria, and Dunarea de Jos University of Galati (UDJG) from Romania.

Held on 10–12 December 2025 under the coordination of KTU Technology Transfer Application and Research Center (KTU TTC) and hosted by Karadeniz Technical University, the Grand Black Sea Forum was successfully carried out over three days with strong participation and a rich, content-driven program. Bringing together academics, students, entrepreneurs, and representatives from the business sector and public institutions at both national and international levels, the forum made significant contributions to regional cooperation, technology transfer, and the innovation ecosystem.

Day 1 of the Forum

On the first day of the Forum, following the opening remarks delivered by KTU Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Ömer Faruk Ursavaş, Lect. Emrah Ayvaz, Director of KTU Technology Transfer Application and Research Center (KTU TTC), gave a presentation on the activities carried out and the outputs achieved within the scope of the T3N-BSB Project.

As part of the first-day programme, the Business Idea Evaluation and Mentorship Workshop, Patent Research Workshop, B2B Innovation and Cooperation Meetings, as well as the seminars titled “Sustainable Living to Reduce Carbon and Water Footprints in Combating the Impacts of Climate Change” and EU Union Programmes, were held in different and parallel sessions. Participants had the opportunity to engage with experts and gain valuable insights on topics such as the blue economy, combating climate change, clean energy, and regional cooperation.

In particular, the Business Idea Evaluation and Mentorship Workshop and the B2B Innovation and Cooperation Meetings provided national and international entrepreneurs, researchers, and industry representatives with opportunities to develop new partnerships and strengthen their projects.

Within the scope of the Forum, approximately 60 projects from five different countries and various cities across Türkiye participated in the Project Competition. Showcasing a wide range of initiatives—from innovative products and sustainability-oriented solutions to digital technologies and projects supporting regional development-the competition attracted significant interest from visitors.

Day 2 of the Forum

On the second day of the Forum, the programme attracted strong interest with seminars delivered by expert researchers, workshops, and the project exhibition. In the first session of the day, held under the theme “Emerging and Mature Technologies,” case studies from different countries were presented:

• Türkiye Case: Prof. Dr. Ahmet Can Altunışık

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) Systems Supported by AI for Early Damage Detection

• Greece Case: Dr. Evie Nessi

Intensifying CO2 Capture and Utilization with Rotating Packed Bed Reactors

• Bulgaria Case: Georgie Dimitrov Georgiev

Design and Development of Energy-Efficient Automobile Prototypes

• Romania Case: Prof. Dr. Silvius Stanciu

Microplastics Collector and Sorting Device for Aquatic Environments

By sharing insights into the technology ecosystems of their respective countries, the speakers offered an international perspective. The sessions, which concluded with Q&A segments, encouraged active participation from attendees.

In the second session of the day, a seminar titled “Why and How Should I Protect My Idea?” was held, providing participants with detailed information on the importance of intellectual property rights and protection processes. While the Project Exhibition remained open throughout the day, three parallel activities were organized:

• International Project Development and Consortium Building Workshop

Bringing together 25 participants from academia, public institutions, the private sector, and umbrella organizations, the workshop featured theoretical and practical sessions on developing project ideas aligned with international funding programmes, reviewing call documents, and establishing strong and sustainable consortium structures.

• University–Industry Cooperation Development Workshop

As part of the workshop, one-to-one meetings were held between university academics and two companies possessing Ministry of Industry and Technology–certified R&D Centers. A total of 10 individual meetings were conducted, during which company representatives shared their R&D needs, existing technological challenges, and innovation goals, while university researchers proposed joint project opportunities, feasible solutions, and collaboration models.

• Smart Innovation Ideathon

A total of 31 participants took part in the Smart Innovation Ideathon. Throughout the day, participants first identified need areas from a user and customer perspective where solutions could be developed. They then generated numerous ideas using creative thinking methods, grouped and prioritized these ideas, and proceeded to the prototyping stage. By the end of the day, teams began preparing initial drafts of their selected solutions and conducted evaluation sessions with mentors from academics and industrialists.

Day 3 of the Forum

The third day of the Forum began with the final presentations of the Smart Innovation Ideathon, during which teams presented their developed projects to the jury for final evaluation.

The Forum continued with a panel titled “Success Stories and Good Practices Implemented by Institutions of Different Statuses.” Moderated by Lect. Emrah Ayvaz, Director of KTU Technology Transfer Application and Research Center (KTU TTC), the panel featured Prof. Dr. Fatma Telli Karakoç from Karadeniz Technical University, Mehmet Bozdoğan from the Eastern Black Sea Development Agency, Nazlı Genç from the Trabzon Commodity Exchange, and Talha Altun from Politek Aquaculture.

At the conclusion of the Forum, awards were presented to the projects that ranked in the Smart Innovation Ideathon and the Project Competition.

Held over three days, the Grand Black Sea Forum brought together participants from five different countries and various cities across Türkiye. With events visited by approximately 800 attendees, the Forum strengthened national and international cooperation and made significant contributions to innovative project development processes and the sustainable support of the technology transfer ecosystem.

Awards

Project Competition Rankings

1st Award

Project Title: Structural Health Monitoring

Project Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Ahmet Can Altunışık

Project Team: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatih Yesevi Okur, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ebru Kalkan Okur

2nd Award

Project Title: IoT-Based Smart Monitoring System for Sustainable Fisheries

Project Coordinator: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Rafet Çağrı Öztürk

Project Team: Kerim Çil

3rd Award

Project Title: Sustainable Thermal Management for Li-ion Batteries: A Dual-Action System with Passive Cooling and Integrated Pre-Heating

Project Coordinator: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Yusuf Yazıcı

Project Team: Dr. Ahmet Aktürk, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Güler

4th Award

Project Title: Artificial Intelligence-Based Detection and Hybrid Deterrence System for Aircraft Hangars

Project Coordinator: Talha Mert Ergün

Project Team: Ayşen Başkan, Zeynep Özlem Menengiç

Project Advisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Rıfat Benveniste

5th Award

Project Title: Vegetable Spreadable Product and Process for Its Preparation

Project Coordinator: Prof. Dr. Silvius Stanciu

Project Team: Luminita Moraru, Cristinel Radu Dache, Victor Cristian Lungu, Daniela Rotaru, Alina Huma

Project Advisor: Ciprian Vlad

Honourable Mention Award

Project Title: Green Armor for Blue Waters: Against the Threat of Global Warming

Project Coordinator: Cihad Özdemir

Project Advisor: Prof. Dr. Beyhan Taş

Smart Innovation Ideathon Rankings

1st Award

Project Title: Voltguard AI

Project Team: Mehmet Ali Öden, Eren Köseoğlu, Talha Mert Ergün, Elif Efe

2nd Award

Project Title: Early Detection of Rotor Failures

Project Team: Ceyda Cansu Yiğiter, Nidanur Yıldız, Şüheda Şahin

3rd Award

Project Title: VOLT-ŞAHİT

Project Team: Elif Azra Bektaş, Makbule Huylu, Ali Osman Şahin

 

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