RECTOR' s MESSAGE
Welcome to the Turkish-Japanese Science and Technology University (TJU).
Founded in 2017 by his excellency Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the President of Türkiye, and his excellency Mr. Shinzo ABE, the Ex-Prime Minister of Japan, via an agreement based on the mutual understanding between the two governments, TJU has the mission of developing future global scientists, introducing cutting-edge technology, and industry-changing innovation to meet local and global challenges. We aim to achieve research excellence through symbiotic partnering of Türkiye and Japan with values and principles that are distinct yet intertwined at the individual and organizational level to support the overall strategic direction of TJU in designing an interdisciplinary ecosystem for educational and futuristic research programs. It is through this collaboration we aim to be among the world’s leading universities that will shape the future of science. TJU will adopt the English language as the educational and research medium to reach an international platform.
The TJU council is formed of honorable Japanese and Turkish members, and plays an important role in the administration and overseeing of TJU activities. The constructive alliance and close cooperation of the council members, in particular the council chair Prof. Ismail Demir (2014-2023 President of Defence Industry Agency) and council co-chair Mr. Kiyoshi Araki (the Ex-Ambassador of the Embassy of Japan in Ankara), has enlightened the path to launching this institution.
In order to establish a world-class university, we considered seven strategic goals including Frontier Science & Innovation, World-class Researcher Development, Engagement for Transformation, Building Culture of Organizational Excellence, Financial Sustainability, All Digital University, and Campus for Society 5.0.
Currently, we are located in Istanbul Technopark, which is the heart of inspiration and innovation in Istanbul, Türkiye. We have a large campus area (1.549.047,51 m2) next to the Sabiha Gökçen Airport in Istanbul. The campus master plan, which is still in progress, will include buildings with features that will pay homage to fine Japanese and Turkish architectural designs. The first phase of construction (6,000 m2) on campus is where we aim to start the graduate program and it will begin soon
Our target is to start the first graduate program in the fall of 2024 with an interdisciplinary nature having about ten dedicated researchers and thirty graduate students, and a small number of technical and administrative staff. The starting interdisciplinary research fields will be Energy&Environment, Earthquake Science&Disaster Management, and Digital and Information Technologies.
It is a privilege and honor to be part of the TJU family, and my promise is that TJU will remain the hub of science and technology in Istanbul for years to come. As the rector, I would like to thank those who contributed to and supported the establishment of TJU; with special thanks to the TJU administrative head and personnel of the TJU Rector Secretariat for their dedication and tireless efforts during this growth.