TÜBİTAK and British Council Issue Open Call for Bilateral Cooperation Programme

The Newton-Katip Çelebi Fund, established to support science and technology collaboration between Turkey and the United Kingdom, has launched an open call for the Institutional Links Programme in cooperation with TÜBİTAK. The open call, which will accept projects in many fields such as health, agriculture and food, energy, information and communication technologies, and automotive, is open for applications until 12 June 2020 through the British Council website and TÜBİTAK's UİDB system. The Newton-Katip Çelebi Fund, established to support and promote academic collaboration in science and technology between Turkey and the United Kingdom, aims to contribute to economic development and social welfare in Turkey by bringing together scientific research and innovation capacity in both countries. The fund, which aims to develop joint solutions to problems in Turkey, launched an open call on 20 April for participants from both countries for the Institutional Links Programme.

Projects that can contribute to Turkey's economic development are being sought

The Institutional Links Programme aims to establish sustainable research partnerships beyond individual researcher connections through jointly conducted scientific research. The fund seeks to support projects that can contribute to Turkey's economic development and increased social welfare and provide solutions to problems affecting low-income populations. The Institutional Links, the most recognised programme by researchers in Turkey since 2014, is jointly implemented by the two institutions under the scope of the "2551 TÜBİTAK and British Council Bilateral Cooperation Programme".

Maximum support of TRY 720,000 for Turkish lead partners

Among the top criteria for open call applications is the requirement that projects must include one lead partner from both Turkey and the United Kingdom. Turkish lead partners receive maximum support of TRY 720,000, while lead partners from the United Kingdom receive maximum support of GBP 150,000. Under the Institutional Links Programme, applications in collaborative research areas including health, energy, agriculture and food, information and communication technologies, machinery manufacturing, robotic systems technologies, production technologies, automation systems, machine design and manufacturing, automotive, mining and social sciences are given priority. Applications for the open call are accepted until 12 June 2020 through the British Council website (https://www.britishcouncil.org.tr/programmes/education/newton-katip-celebi-fund/institutional-links-2020).