Through its dedication to the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative Pledge and by offering specialized courses in deep tech, IT, and essential professional skills, the Middle East Technical University (METU) has successfully trained and influenced over 60,000 learners and professionals since 2023. METU has proudly contributed to the Initiative’s ambitious goal of skilling one million people across Europe, and was named University Trainer of the Year at the recent EIT Education and Skills Days.
We spoke to Prof. Dr. Ömer Delialioğlu about METU’s commitment to accelerating its efforts to achieve even greater impact in deep tech education and training.
“METU’s identity as Türkiye’s leading international research university drives its focus on deep tech and deep tech training.”
Founded in 1956, METU hosts over 25,000 students in three campuses and boasts an extensive academic structure crucial for specialized fields: 42 undergraduate programs across five faculties, and an impressive 108 Master’s and 72 Doctorate programs within five Graduate Schools. The University’s mission is to achieve excellence in research, education, and public service by fostering creative and critical thinking, innovation, and leadership within a framework of universal values. This mission motivates the institution to share its academic research with a wider audience through initiatives like the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative.
At METU, the effective use of education technologies is perceived as a social responsibility project, and the University already has an institutional drive to master and accelerate the use of digital tools across the University’s curriculum and throughout the country.
METU’s experiences with distance education and edtech have gradually paved the way for the establishment of METU’s MOOC platform, a digital environment designed to provide free, accessible online educational opportunities for everyone. Additionally, the METU Distance Education Application and Research Center, established in 2020, helps with this perspective.
“METU’s Technopark is a vital engine in the University’s commitment to prioritize deep tech and deep tech training.”
METU’s dedication is further strengthened by the dynamic unity of its ecosystem: the research university, its expert academics, a large graduate community, and its Technopark, ODTÜ TEKNOKENT, Türkiye’s first and most innovative science and technology park. The Technopark is a concentrated hub for research and development (R&D) across fields like deep tech, software, electronics, and medical technologies, and hosts over 400 tech companies, including many faculty spin-offs, and employs more than 13,000 educated researchers and personnel.
Additionally, beginning in their student years, ODTÜ TEKNOKENT deploys robust pre-incubation and acceleration support programs that provide aspiring entrepreneurs with the resources and mentorship required to turn their ideas into viable technology companies. Therefore, by advancing its education and skill development missions to the next stage, METU also focuses on building the founders who will create the next generation of deep tech companies, and the skilled labour force necessary to boost Europe’s technological competitiveness.
“The direct impact is measurable in individual lives.”
As part of METU’s commitment to the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative’s Pledge, the University utilized its expertise in higher education to launch a large-scale, publicly accessible online training program. The core purpose of which is to provide free, university-certified training to everyone, with a specific focus on supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and their employees. By offering essential digital courses, including programming, 3D design, digital marketing, and advanced IT skills, and certifying them with a university-signed certificate, METU directly boosts the professional competencies of individuals and injects much-needed digital capacity into SMEs, laying the foundational talent required for future deep tech adoption, providing tangible support for Europe’s digital transition.
The platform, namely “Bilgeİş,” and other distance learning resources deliver free and accessible online courses, creating a powerful learning ecosystem that motivates individuals from diverse backgrounds to continuously improve their skills. Every day, users proudly share their certificates on social media, which demonstrates both the platform’s reach and the value learners attach to the training they receive. The university-certified skills that learners gained inspired many or allowed them to change careers, which demonstrates how METU’s efforts actively and successfully provide access to formal upskilling opportunities for a large audience.
“METU will keep on advancing its education and skill development missions to the next stage by placing a strong emphasis on cultivating the next generation of founders. The motto is simple, but strong: We can change the world.”
Following METU’s recognition as Trainer of the Year, the goal is not simply to reach more people but also to strengthen its international academic and industry partnerships to ensure educational content remains directly aligned with market needs. This strategy is being executed through collaborations with major global technology partners to launch advanced graduate programs and joint research labs in crucial deep tech areas like artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, and big data systems.
The University will continue to focus on building entrepreneurs who will create the next generation of deep-tech companies through its robust pre-incubation and acceleration support programs. These initiatives are designed to provide aspiring founders with the essential resources and mentorship required to successfully transform their innovative ideas into viable technology companies.
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