European Higher Education Network and Turkey's Trends, October 17-19, Aksaray, Turkey

IHES 2012 - European Higher Education Network and Turkey's Trends, October 17-19, Aksaray, Turkey
THE ROLE OF ACADEMIA IN THE PROCESSES OF RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION, Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, Sabancı University, Vice President, Director for Research and Graduate Policies, 34956, Istanbul, Turkey.
Seeking solutions to the global issues (such as changes in demographic structure, demands for better living conditions, sustainability, climate change and other changes in nutrition, water sources, health, energy, environment) that are brought about by the globalization reveals the growing need for the industry-academia collaboration. Within this scope, the evolution of industrial competition has come to be known as “Production” in 1960s; “Cost” in 1970s, “Quality” in 1980s; “Speed” in 1990s; and finally “Power of Knowledge” in 2000s. The academic world has always been in evolution as well: The mission of Academia was limited to education and research in the past, whereas today socio-economic benefits of knowledge are also taken into account, thus bring along the competition. This is the main purpose behind the decision-making process and development of The European Higher Education Area and The European Research Area both comprising Turkey. Therefore, the academia-industry collaboration in Research &Technological Development and Innovation processes is not just an assignment, but a must for the future of both sectors. Within this scope, there are numerous studies that are being conducted on a global scale. However it is hard to mention a unique method or a model for these studies. We need different approaches on a global basis, as well as collaboration models on national, regional and local scales. In this bulletin, the contribution of industry to the Research & Technological Development and Innovation processes will be summarized within the context of global and national developments; and the sector of ceramics will be evaluated as a case study.
Key Words: Higher Education, Bologna Process, Lisbon Process, Innovation Process, Industry-Academia Collaboration.