TURKISH-JAPANESE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY UNIVERSITY
ACADEMIC CAREER DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT PROGRAM
1. Purpose
Turkish-Japanese Science and Technology University considers the establishment of a strong academic staff capable of competing at an international level, with high research and innovation capacity, offering qualified education, and creating social impact as one of its fundamental strategic priorities. It is evaluated that the long-term success of the university will be possible not only with physical infrastructure, research laboratories, and financial resources, but with the cultivation of academicians who can transform these resources into scientific value, technological innovation, and qualified human resources.
Developed in line with this understanding, the Academic Career Opportunities Program - Academic Career Development and Support Program is designed to support the career development of academic personnel currently working or to be employed within TJU through systematic, transparent, and sustainable mechanisms. The program aims to develop academicians' competencies in research, education, project development, publication, technology transfer, internationalization, academic administration, and social contribution with a holistic approach.
The basic approach of the program is not to view an academic career solely as a process based on title and staff progression. Academic career development is considered a multidimensional process that includes strengthening research capacity, continuous improvement of educational quality, encouraging interdisciplinary studies, increasing participation in international research networks, training young researchers, and developing academic leadership capacity.
TJU's mission to develop scientific, technological, and academic cooperation between Turkey and Japan constitutes the unique aspect of the program. In this context, the program aims to train qualified academicians who can establish sustainable academic relations between the universities, research institutions, public institutions, and industrial organizations of the two countries, conduct joint research projects, lead international research groups, and contribute to the Turkey-Japan science ecosystem.
The program also aims to establish a strong alignment between the individual career goals of the academic personnel and the institutional goals of the university. While supporting the development of each academician in their own field of scientific expertise, it will be ensured that this development serves TJU's research priorities, education policies, internationalization strategy, and social contribution goals.
2. Main Objectives
The primary objective of the Academic Career Development and Support Program is the establishment and institutionalization of an academic excellence culture within TJU. Academic excellence will be evaluated not only by the number of publications but through the scientific quality of research, international impact, social benefit, technological outputs, and contribution to educational activities. The adoption of high academic standards within the university, strengthening adherence to scientific ethical principles, and establishing an understanding of continuous development are among the main objectives of the program.
Another important objective of the program is to support the development of research assistants, postdoctoral researchers, and young faculty members who are at the beginning of their academic careers. Necessary information, experience, and institutional support will be provided so that young academicians can establish independent research programs, produce qualified publications, access national and international research funds, give effective courses, and establish strong academic networks.
Increasing international research collaborations is one of the main objectives of the program. Academicians will be encouraged to conduct joint studies with researchers from different countries, take part in international research consortia, produce joint publications, and participate in global scientific networks. In this context, priority will be given to the development of long-term and institutional academic partnerships, especially with universities, research institutes, and technology organizations in Japan.
Through the program, it is aimed to increase the number and quality of Turkey-Japan joint academic activities. Activities such as joint research projects, joint doctoral programs, mutual academician mobility, joint courses, summer schools, scientific workshops, and joint research laboratories will be supported. Thus, TJU is intended to take a central role in scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries.
The development of academic leadership capacity is also among the primary objectives of the program. Academicians who will take on roles such as department head, program coordinator, institute director, research center director, and similar duties will be enabled to gain competence in strategic planning, human resources management, financial management, quality assurance, research management, and corporate communication.
In order to develop the capacity to access research funds, academicians' application skills for the programs of national and international funding organizations such as TUBITAK, the European Union, Horizon Europe, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and similar organizations will be strengthened. Academicians will be encouraged not only to develop individual research projects but also to take part as coordinators or work package leaders in large-scale and multi-partner international projects.
The program also aims to improve the quality of education and training. Faculty members will be supported in using student-centered teaching methods, developing innovative course designs, utilizing digital teaching tools, popularizing project-based learning applications, and ensuring the active participation of students in research processes.
Through all these activities, it is aimed to increase TJU's scientific productivity, research impact, international visibility, and academic reputation. Making the university a preferred working environment for qualified academicians and attracting international academic talents is one of the long-term goals of the program.
3. Program Components
A. Young Academician Development Program
The Young Academician Development Program will be created to support the development of researchers and faculty members who are at the beginning stages of their academic careers in the fields of research, education, and institutional contribution. Research assistants, postdoctoral researchers, assistant professors, and faculty members who have completed their doctorates within the last ten years will be able to benefit from the program. Taking into account the unique career structures of science fields, necessary flexibility can be provided in the eligibility period and evaluation criteria.
Within the scope of the program, young academicians will be supported to create their long-term research agendas, determine their scientific goals, and develop an independent researcher identity. Participants will be provided with training and consultancy on formulating research questions, developing research methods, preparing project schedules, building research teams, risk management, and scientific output planning.
Academic writing and publication development activities will form one of the important components of the program. Support will be provided to young academicians on preparing scientific articles, selecting appropriate journals, responding to peer reviews, publication ethics, open science, management of research data, and academic visibility. In addition to increasing the number of publications, producing effective, qualified, and highly internationally visible publications in their field will be the basis.
In the educational aspect of the program, development activities will be carried out on course design, measurement and evaluation, student-centered teaching, project-based learning, laboratory education, digital learning tools, and effective student advising. The teaching performance of young faculty members will be monitored through different tools such as peer evaluation, teaching portfolios, and analysis of course outputs, not just through student evaluations.
It is envisaged that each participant will prepare an individual academic career development plan at the beginning of the program. This plan will include goals for research, publication, projects, education, internationalization, and institutional contribution. The plans will be reviewed at regular intervals, and mentoring, training, research support, or mobility opportunities will be offered according to the needs of the participants.
B. Academic Mentoring Program
The Academic Mentoring Program will be structured as an institutional guidance mechanism that enables experienced academicians to systematically share their knowledge and experience with young researchers and faculty members. Through the program, it is aimed to more effectively manage the problems of research, publication, project development, teaching, student advising, and institutional adaptation encountered in the early stages of the academic career.
For each young faculty member, an experienced academician who knows their field of study or a closely related discipline as much as possible can be assigned as a mentor. However, care will be taken to ensure that the mentor-mentee relationship does not turn into a direct hierarchical supervisory relationship. Determining mentors among independent individuals from the managers who evaluate the performances of young academicians will ensure that the relationship is carried out on the basis of trust, volunteering, and professional development.
During the mentoring process, topics such as creating a research strategy, preparing publication plans, applying for project funds, developing academic networks, evaluating career options, and maintaining work-life balance will be discussed. Mentors will help young academicians develop independent research identities; however, they will not assume a role that directly determines their research agendas.
In order for the program to be carried out effectively, mentors will also be provided with training on mentoring skills. Mentor trainings will be organized in areas such as giving effective feedback, creating an inclusive academic environment, supporting career development, conflict management, and academic ethics. Mentoring relationships will be evaluated at regular intervals, and mentor changes will be allowed in line with the needs of the parties.
In addition to the individual mentoring model, interdisciplinary group mentoring, thematic career meetings, and peer mentoring systems can also be established. Thus, it will be ensured that academicians benefit from the knowledge accumulation of researchers from different scientific fields and career stages, not just from the experience of a single mentor.
C. International Academic Mobility Program
The International Academic Mobility Program will be implemented to support TJU academicians in conducting joint studies with universities, research institutes, and scientific organizations in different countries and gaining international research experience. The program will contribute to academicians closely following global scientific developments, learning new research methods, developing joint projects and publications, and creating long-term academic networks.
Within the scope of the program, short-term research visits, postdoctoral research activities, visiting researcher programs, joint laboratory studies, academic exchange activities, and research-oriented scientific mobilities will be supported. It will be essential to plan mobility activities not only for the purpose of gaining individual experience but with the goal of producing concrete and measurable academic outputs.
In mobility applications, the purpose of the visit, the joint research topic, the research group to be worked with, expected publication or project outputs, and the sustainability of the cooperation to be established after the mobility will be taken into account. Supported academicians will be expected to submit a report detailing the research results, the collaborations they developed, and the planned joint activities following their visits.
In line with TJU's institutional mission, priority will be given to mobility activities to be carried out with Japanese universities and research institutions. In addition, strategic academic mobilities to be carried out with distinguished universities in Europe, North America, Asia, and other regions can also be included in the scope of support.
It is important that the program is carried out within the framework of the principle of reciprocity. In addition to sending TJU academicians abroad, foreign academicians will be encouraged to participate in research and education activities at TJU. Thus, the mobility program will become an institutional academic network model providing mutual circulation of knowledge and researchers rather than a one-way visit mechanism.
D. Turkey-Japan Academic Cooperation Program
The Turkey-Japan Academic Cooperation Program will be one of the fundamental programs ensuring that TJU's founding mission is concretely reflected in academic activities. The program aims to establish sustainable research and education partnerships between Turkish and Japanese academicians, increase joint scientific outputs, and collaborate in the priority technology areas of the two countries.
Within the scope of the program, joint research projects, joint publications, joint doctoral thesis advising, joint course development, double or joint degree programs, scientific workshops, summer schools, research seminars, and thematic academic networks will be supported. Collaborations will be encouraged not to remain limited to one-off events; they should transform into long-term research programs, joint laboratories, and institutional partnerships.
Especially in strategic areas such as earthquake and disaster sciences, artificial intelligence, robotics, materials science, energy technologies, sustainability, digital transformation, health technologies, advanced manufacturing systems, and the like, joint research clusters can be formed. These clusters can include industrial organizations, public institutions, and research centers in addition to Japanese and Turkish academicians.
Through the joint doctoral advising mechanism, TJU graduate students will benefit from the knowledge and experience of both Turkish and Japanese academicians. It will be essential to support joint advising processes with research mobility, joint laboratory use, and international publication production.
Reciprocity, scientific quality, sustainability, and institutional impact will be the main evaluation criteria in the activities to be supported within the scope of the program. It will be targeted for the cooperation to turn into an institutional relationship not only between individual academicians but between departments, institutes, research centers, and universities.
E. Academic Leadership Development Program
The Academic Leadership Development Program will be established to prepare TJU's future academic managers and research leaders. The target audience of the program will consist of department heads, program coordinators, institute directors, research center directors, laboratory managers, and faculty members with academic leadership potential.
Within the scope of the program, training will be provided in areas such as strategic management, academic leadership, quality assurance, research management, budget and resource management, human resources management, corporate communication, change management, crisis management, and conflict resolution. It will be aimed that academic managers are not just people running administrative processes, but leaders who guide scientific development, encourage academic cooperation, and strengthen corporate culture.
Participants will be enabled to actively participate in the university's strategic planning, budget preparation, performance monitoring, accreditation, internationalization, and quality evaluation processes. When necessary, academic management observation programs can be organized in Japanese universities or other distinguished research universities.
Special importance will be given to ethical leadership and inclusive management approaches in the program. Academic managers will be expected to observe the principles of transparency, merit, accountability, academic freedom, equality, and scientific ethics in decision-making processes. It will be essential that academic leadership duties are evaluated not as an area of personal status, but as periodic and responsibility-based service duties aimed at the development of the university.
4. Academic Career Supports
Research Development Support
In order for academicians to create independent research programs and develop innovative research ideas, research supports suitable for different career stages will be offered. Through the Initial Research Support or Seed Funding Program, young faculty members in particular will be enabled to conduct preliminary research, gather data, build research teams, and prepare for larger-scale externally funded projects.
Within the scope of Scientific Research Projects, individual projects, interdisciplinary projects, Turkey-Japan joint projects, graduate thesis projects, research infrastructure projects, and priority area projects can be supported. In the evaluation of projects, scientific originality, methodological adequacy, output potential, social or technological impact, and alignment with TJU's strategic priorities will be taken into account.
In the event that research results have the potential to turn into patents, utility models, software, design, or commercializable technologies, intellectual property and technology transfer support will be provided. Patent research, invention disclosure, patent application, international patent protection, licensing, and industry cooperation processes will be supported by the relevant units of the university.
Publication Development Support
In order to help academicians prepare high-quality scientific publications, academic writing, language editing, statistical analysis, visual design, and publication strategy supports will be offered. These supports will be directed especially to studies with a high potential to be published in international peer-reviewed journals.
Within the scope of academic writing supports, training and individual consultancy services can be provided on article structure, scientific expression, literature synthesis, presentation of methods, discussion of results, and preparation of responses to reviewer comments. Professional language editing support can be provided for publications prepared in English; however, it will be clearly stated that this support does not take over the responsibility for scientific content from the authors.
Within the framework of open access publication policies, article processing charge support can be provided for publications to be made in qualified and reliable journals. In this process, clear and objective evaluation criteria will be applied to prevent the support of predatory publishing organs or those that do not meet scientific quality standards.
The development of academicians' reviewing and editing capacities will also be handled as part of publication support. Duties such as reviewing in international journals, editorial board membership, and special issue editorship will be encouraged as activities that strengthen academicians' scientific networks and visibility in their fields.
Project Development Support
In order for TJU academicians to benefit more from national and international research funds, an institutional project development support will be created. Regular information and training activities will be carried out for the programs of TUBITAK, Horizon Europe, European Research Council, COST, Erasmus+, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, and other funding organizations.
Support will be provided in project applications on call analysis, finding partners, structuring the project idea, preparing work packages, budget planning, risk analysis, impact assessment, and reviewing the application text. External expert evaluation and pre-review mechanisms can be applied in large-scale international project applications.
Project partnership development meetings, researcher matching activities, and thematic network building events will be organized for academicians to participate in international consortia. TJU taking part not only as a project partner but as a coordinator and lead institution in international projects should be adopted as a long-term goal.
Conference and Scientific Event Support
The participation of academicians in international conferences, scientific congresses, workshops, and research network meetings will be supported within the framework of determined academic criteria. In supports, active scientific roles such as oral presentation, being an invited speaker, session chairmanship, scientific committee membership, and participation in international project meetings will be prioritized.
Conference supports should not be seen merely as travel support; they must be evaluated as a means of academic networking, joint research development, and increasing TJU's international visibility. Academicians receiving support may be required to report scientific connections obtained, joint working opportunities, and other academic outputs after the event.
The organization of international conferences, symposia, workshops, and distinguished speaker events at TJU will also be supported. In particular, inviting academicians from Japan and internationally recognized universities to TJU will contribute to the establishment of new research collaborations for students and academic staff.
5. Career Progression and Evaluation
Academic career progression and performance evaluation at TJU should be carried out through a transparent, predictable, merit-based system that considers the differences of science fields. Evaluations should not be based solely on the number of publications or a single performance indicator; an academic portfolio approach that considers the dimensions of research, education, institutional contribution, internationalization, technology transfer, and social impact together should be adopted.
In evaluating research performance, the scientific quality of publications, their originality, the position of the publication medium in the field, citation impact, and the scientific or social contribution of the research will be taken into account as much as the number of publications. Winning national and international research funds, project management, research team development, graduate student training, patents, licensing, and technology transfer activities will also be among the elements of research performance.
In evaluating educational performance, course load alone will not be accepted as a sufficient indicator. Course quality, achievement level of learning outcomes, student feedback, peer evaluations, the use of innovative teaching methods, contributions to new course or program development, student advising, and educational material production will be evaluated together.
Within the scope of institutional contribution, the duties academicians assume in department, faculty, institute, and university commissions; their contributions to quality assurance, accreditation, strategic planning, student activities, and university services will be taken into account. When evaluating academic management duties, not only the duration of the duty but the concrete contributions made to the academic development of the relevant unit, the working environment, and the institutional goals will be based on.
In the dimension of internationalization, international joint projects, joint publications, collaborations established with foreign researchers, academic mobility, international student and researcher advising, and participation in global research networks will be evaluated. Qualified and sustainable collaborations carried out with Japanese universities and research institutions in line with TJU's unique mission will be taken into special consideration.
The performance evaluation system should not turn into a mechanism that creates unhealthy competition among academicians or encourages only short-term numerical outputs. The system should provide regular and developmental feedback to academicians; provide mentoring, training, and research support to address performance deficiencies. Evaluation results should be used in updating career development plans and directing institutional supports.
It should be taken into account that the forms of publication, projects, patents, and academic impact may vary in different disciplines. For this reason, evaluation criteria should be adapted according to the characteristics of engineering, basic sciences, social sciences, and other fields; comparing all academicians with uniform numerical criteria should be avoided.
6. Academic Career Achievement Awards
Within the scope of the Academic Career Development and Support Program, achievement awards in different categories can be given to make outstanding academic performance visible and encourage qualified activities. It will be ensured that the award processes are carried out based on transparent, comparable criteria that prioritize scientific quality.
The Distinguished Young Faculty Member Award will be given to young academicians who show significant research, education, or project achievements at the beginning of their academic careers. In this award, not only the candidate's existing publications but also their independent research capacity, future academic development potential, and contribution to the university will be taken into account.
The Excellence in Research Award will be given to academicians who conduct high-quality scientific research, produce effective publications in their fields, win significant research funds, and develop innovative technologies or methods. The scientific originality of the research, its international impact, and its social or technological contribution will be the main evaluation elements.
The Excellence in Teaching Award will be given to faculty members who develop student-centered and innovative teaching methods, make significant contributions to course and curriculum quality, and effectively support the academic development of students. In the award evaluation, student views as well as the teaching portfolio, peer evaluation, and the impact of the developed educational applications will be taken into account.
The Turkey-Japan Academic Cooperation Award will be given to academicians or research teams that make a distinct contribution to the development of joint research, education, student training, academic mobility, or institutional partnership between Turkey and Japan. The continuity of the collaboration and the concrete academic outputs it produces will be based on in the evaluation.
The Academic Leadership Award will be given to academicians who lead the development of departments, programs, research centers, or other academic units; exhibiting an inclusive, ethical, and innovative management approach. This award will be given based not only on the managerial title but on the concrete impact of the leadership on institutional development.
Awards should not be seen merely as an instrument of ceremonial recognition; they should be associated with elements that will contribute to career development such as research support, academic mobility opportunities, project development funds, or research time.
7. Japan-Focused Special Career Opportunities
The unique structure of TJU, founded on the basis of a bilateral international agreement, necessitates the development of special mechanisms that can offer career and research opportunities to academicians different from other universities in Turkey. Through these mechanisms, TJU academicians' direct access to Japan's science, technology, and higher education ecosystem will be facilitated.
The Japanese Research Fellowship Program will support TJU faculty members to conduct research in universities and research institutions in Japan for certain periods. Within the scope of the program, travel, accommodation, research expenses, and when necessary, laboratory use costs can be covered. Fellowship activities will be expected to turn into concrete outputs such as joint publication, project application, technology development, or joint student training.
The Joint Appointment Program can be considered as a joint appointment model that enables selected academicians to assume academic duties simultaneously at TJU and a Japanese university or research institution. Through this model, continuous knowledge transfer between the two institutions, the formation of joint research groups, and the development of joint education programs will be possible. The legal, financial, and academic responsibilities of the application should be clearly regulated through protocols to be made between the two institutions.
The Invited Professor Program will encourage distinguished academicians in Japan to take part in TJU for short, medium, or long terms. Visiting faculty members can be foreseen to carry out activities such as teaching, establishing research groups, developing joint projects, advising doctoral students, and providing mentoring to academic staff. The program should aim to create continuous institutional relations rather than one-off visits.
Within the scope of the Co-Advising Program, graduate theses will be ensured to be conducted jointly by Turkish and Japanese academicians. Students will be encouraged to carry out a part of their research in Japan, benefit from the laboratories and research infrastructures of both countries, and produce international joint publications. The joint advising model can form the infrastructure of joint or double degree graduate programs in the long term.
In addition to these, new mechanisms such as the Japan Academic Cooperation Network Supports, the Japan-Turkey Joint Laboratory Program, and the Japan Industry-Academia Research Fellowship can be developed. Through these programs, academicians can be supported to make first contact with Japanese researchers, conduct joint laboratory creation studies, and develop cooperation with the research and development units of Japanese companies.
8. Academic Development and Faculty Affairs Office
In order to carry out the program effectively and sustainably in the long term, the establishment of the Academic Development and Faculty Affairs Office is recommended. This unit will coordinate different programs related to the career development of academic personnel under a single institutional roof.
The Office will be responsible for academic career planning, young academician development programs, mentoring activities, improving teaching quality, academic leadership trainings, and international academic mobility processes. It will perform need analyses of academic personnel, support the preparation of individual career development plans, and regularly evaluate the impact of the offered programs.
The unit will also work in close cooperation with human resources, the research and project support office, the international relations unit, the technology transfer office, the teaching and learning center, and the quality coordinatorship. Thus, institutional integrity will be ensured among the research, education, internationalization, and career supports needed by the academic personnel.
The Academic Development and Faculty Affairs Office needs to be structured not just as a personnel unit carrying out administrative processes, but as a strategic center supporting academic talent management and faculty member development. The office should apply an integrated support model that continues from academicians starting work to advanced stages of their careers.
Institutional orientation programs for newly recruited academicians can also be conducted by this unit. In orientations, information will be provided about TJU's academic structure, research supports, education policies, ethical rules, international collaborations, and administrative processes. Support mechanisms will be developed especially to facilitate the adaptation of academicians coming from abroad to Turkey and the university.
The Office will monitor academic career program results through annual reports and present them to the university management. Indicators such as program participation rate, mentor-mentee matches, international mobility numbers, project applications, joint publications, developments in educational quality, and academic satisfaction can be included in the monitoring system.
9. Expected Outcomes
As a result of the effective implementation of the Academic Career Development and Support Program, it is expected that TJU's capacity to attract and retain nationally and internationally recognized academicians will be strengthened. Transparent career paths, a qualified research environment, international mobility opportunities, and strong institutional supports will contribute to the university becoming a preferred institution for academic talents.
The program will create a safe, supportive, and development-oriented academic environment for young researchers and faculty members. Thanks to mentoring, seed funding, academic writing support, and project development services, it will be possible for young academicians' independent research capacities to strengthen in a shorter time.
The increase in joint research capacity between Turkey and Japan will be one of the most important institutional outcomes of the program. Thanks to joint research projects, publications, doctoral theses, laboratories, and academic mobility, a sustainable scientific cooperation ecosystem will be established between the two countries.
The program is also expected to make a direct contribution to research funds and publication performance. The increase in the number and success rate of national and international project applications, the proliferation of high-quality publications, and the development of patent and technology transfer activities will strengthen the university's research capacity.
In the educational dimension, the popularization of innovative teaching methods, the increase in course and curriculum quality, the strengthening of student advising, and the greater participation of students in research processes are expected. These developments will directly contribute to TJU graduates' competencies in research, technology, and innovation.
In the long term, the program is expected to support the institutionalization of TJU's research university identity, the strengthening of its international academic reputation, and its becoming one of the reference universities in strategic science and technology areas.
10. Strategic Approach for TJU
The academic career system at TJU should not be structured merely as a system limited to appointment, reappointment, and academic promotion processes. The system should carry the quality of a modern Academic Personnel Development Framework that supports the development of academic personnel in the fields of research, education, internationalization, technology transfer, academic leadership, and social contribution from the moment they join the university.
Within this framework, the career development of academic personnel can be planned according to different stages. While mentoring, initial supports, and the development of educational skills are a priority for early-career academicians; large-scale project leadership, building research groups, and participation in international networks should be supported for mid-career academicians. Senior academicians should be encouraged in areas such as academic leadership, research center management, training of young academicians, and development of institutional partnerships.
A direct connection must be established between academic evaluation and incentive systems. It must be ensured that the activities prioritized by the university, such as interdisciplinary research, international project coordination, qualified education, student training, technology transfer, and Turkey-Japan academic cooperation, are reflected in career advancement.
Particularly joint research conducted with Japanese universities, joint thesis advising, joint project development, academic mobility, and joint education activities should be distinguishing elements of the TJU academic career system. However, these activities need to be evaluated not only quantitatively but with dimensions of scientific quality, sustainability, and institutional impact.
TJU must create a working environment that protects cooperation, scientific ethics, and academic freedom while providing competitive research resources to its academicians. The construction of a corporate culture where academic personnel can reflect their views in decision-making processes, where their successes are appreciated, and their development needs are supported is of critical importance for the success of the program.
Through this holistic approach, TJU can become one of the most attractive research universities for young and talented academicians in Turkey; it can attract international researchers and reach the position of a leading academic center in developing scientific cooperation between Turkey and Japan.