Research offices, boards & commissions

The main mission of the Research Projects Office is to increase the awareness of researchers and stakeholders about support mechanisms and research opportunities, to support intellectual and industrial property rights, technology transfer and incorporation, and to develop policies in this direction. It provides services during the application and management of research projects, before and after submission, so that the university benefits from national and international funds to the maximum extent, and acts as a bridge to the private sector so that research results are integrated into industry. Contact: projeofisi@acibadem.edu.tr; staff list on Contact.

DAPSİS is where researchers follow their support applications to TÜBİTAK, ministries, EU institutions and others. Every project application must be entered in DAPSİS and submitted to the Research Projects Office before any application that requires the Rectorate’s approval. Supports available through DAPSİS: project file control, review of rejected projects, intellectual-property consultancy and general information on support programmes. Approved projects are followed in DAPSİS too: budget balances, scholar entries and exits and institution-share budgets. A record is created with the general information, project team, keywords, budget and file attachments (the project reference file; for ongoing projects the contract or acceptance and budget letter), then checked and approved by the Project Office.

• ABAPKO — the Scientific Research Projects Commission evaluates scientific research and infrastructure development proposals in line with the university’s vision, mission and values and approves funds from the academic-year budget.
• AFDK — the Academic Activities Support Commission evaluates requests for congresses, scientific meetings, publications and training for faculty and graduate students.
• ALKOK — the Research Laboratories Coordination Board, established in 2019, coordinates procurement for all research laboratories, maintenance-service agreements and the joint use of laboratories.
• KlinikAr — the Clinical Trials Support and Follow-up Committee (since October 2019) facilitates Phase II–IV trials; see Clinical research.
• Ethics committees — the Clinical Research Ethics Committee, ATADEK and ACU-HADYEK; see Ethics committees.
• ACUTAB — the Test and Analysis Unit, affiliated to the Rectorate; see ACUTAB and the test and analysis catalogue.

The Acıbadem University Incubation Center supports the maturation of new business ideas in health, their transformation into products and their implementation. Calls are made twice a year and accept internal and external applications; projects that pass evaluation join three-month programmes, and successful entrepreneurs meet potential investors. Five programmes run: pre-incubation, incubation, accelerator, global accelerator and BiGG Health. Support includes office facilities, academic and sectoral consultancy, access to potential investors, customers and business partners in health-related and medical devices, biomedical materials, pharmaceutical formulations and probiotics, digital and mobile health, wearables and diagnostic kits, and food safety; access to the university’s technological infrastructure; a prototyping workshop with 3D printer, 3D scanner, drill press, cleaning station and laser cutter; and training in business models, project writing, finance, law, IP, health regulations and presentation. Since July 2018 the centre has been a TÜBİTAK 1512 Techno-enterprise Capital Support Program implementing organisation (BiGG Health): entrepreneurs who pass TÜBİTAK’s panels receive venture-capital support. TEKMER received the Social Responsibility in Healthcare Award and hosts the İSTisNA rare-disease solution platform.

Under Industrial Property Law No. 6769 (2017) trademarks, geographical indications, designs, patents and utility models are protected. The Research Projects Office supports applications; a preliminary search is recommended (TürkPatent, Espacenet, Patentscope, USPTO, Google Patents) before contacting projeofisi@acibadem.edu.tr. An invention notification form is submitted to the Rectorate, which covers all expenses of inventions accepted under the law. All patents applied for under the university’s rights are followed by the office together with the patent offices from which service is purchased; share distribution follows the Rectorate’s intellectual-property ratios, and licensing and commercialisation follow the certificate. For copyright, the university works with the Proofstack platform, which creates blockchain time stamps for inventions, designs, content, drawings, compositions, scripts and articles before a patent application or during research; accounts are requested from proofstack@acibadem.edu.tr. Recent results include a United States patent granted to a joint invention of university academics and Prof. Meltem Müftüoğlu’s patent registrations in America and Europe.