Sakarya University contributes to social development and effective public governance by providing education, skills training, and capacity-building programs to policymakers, public administrators, municipal institutions, and law enforcement personnel. These activities align with SDG 16’s emphasis on inclusive, accountable, and evidence-based governance. The Sakarya University Continuing Education Center (SAÜSEM) plays a key role in delivering lifelong learning and postgraduate-level training for policy and law makers on topics such as economy, law, technology, migration, cybersecurity, climate change, and sustainable development. faculties and research centers hosted expert-led seminars, workshops, public administration training modules, legal awareness programs, human rights education, and digital transformation courses throughout the 2025 calendar year.
Through collaboration with local and regional government institutions, municipalities, provincial directorates, civil society organizations, and public-service agencies, the University provided professional development and administrative capacity strengthening, supporting more effective and informed public-sector decision-making. These partnership-based initiatives improved the use of evidence-based governance practices and enhanced cooperation between academia and public institutions. The Technology Transfer Office within Sakarya Teknokent further facilitated structured knowledge exchange and consultancy support for public institutions, particularly in innovation policy, economic development strategies, and applied technological solutions.
All relevant education and capacity-building activities are publicly documented in the University’s Annual Administrative Activity Reports, providing verifiable evidence of continuous implementation in 2025, and demonstrating the University's sustained contribution to institutional resilience and effective public governance.
Here are some examples of Sakarya University’s training and capacity building for policymakers in 2025:
1. Training for Elected Neighborhood Heads: “The Role of Social Media and Artificial Intelligence in Public Administration”
Training session for neighborhood heads at the Sakarya Federation of Muhtars (24 October 2025).
Within the University’s Science Talks series, this session was held at the Sakarya Federation of Muhtars, the umbrella organization of the province’s elected neighborhood heads. University expert Lect. Dr. Ece Ergül trained the muhtars on using social media as a trust-based channel of communication with citizens, responding promptly to citizen complaints, and using plain, inclusive and non-partisan language as the most local representatives of the state. The session also covered social media security, including protection against fake accounts, regular password renewal and two-factor authentication, as well as the importance of sharing only verified information. The SEMOS tool, developed for the first time in Türkiye, was introduced (24.10.2025).
2. Capacity Building for Local Administrators on Zero Waste: Science Talks with the Metropolitan Municipality
Science Talks session “Green Minds Meetings: Zero Waste Together” with Sakarya Metropolitan Municipality (7 November 2025).
The 10th session of the Science Talks series, “Green Minds Meetings: Zero Waste Together”, was held in cooperation with the Sakarya Metropolitan Municipality. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aliye Suna Erses Yay shared expert knowledge with the participants, who included the municipality’s environmental engineers, muhtars and school administrators. She addressed zero waste as an approach aimed at behavioral change across the production–consumption chain, and the impact of urbanization on waste management. The Metropolitan Municipality’s zero waste projects, deposit return systems and construction waste management practices were also discussed (07.11.2025).
3. Program with the Governorship of Sakarya: “Cornerstones of Law: Administrative Justice and Human Rights”
Speakers and organizers of the “Cornerstones of Law: Administrative Justice and Human Rights” program (8 December 2025).
On the occasion of 10 December Human Rights Day, the Faculty of Law and the Governorship of Sakarya jointly organized this information program for academics and members of the legal community. Moderated by the Dean of the Faculty of Law, Prof. Dr. Şafak Narbay, it brought together Prof. Dr. Melikşah Yasin, a member of the Presidential Legal Policy Board, and Dr. Eren Cenan, President of the Sakarya 2nd Administrative Court. They discussed consistency of case law, procedural equality, fair trial, and the role of administrative justice in balancing public power with fundamental rights and freedoms (08.12.2025).
1. Capacity Building for Staff of Public Social Service Institutions (Erasmus+ KA220)
The Department of Special Education is a partner in the Erasmus+ KA220 project “Developing the Competences of Caregivers of Individuals with Special Needs in Evidence-Based Practices through Technology-Supported Tools”, with Prof. Dr. Bekir Fatih Meral as SAÜ lead. Coordinated by Düzce University with partners from Czechia and Germany, the project ranked first among the nine projects funded by the Turkish National Agency in its call. It develops the competences of care staff working in social service institutions. Its outputs will be disseminated to social service institutions, early childhood special education institutions and other stakeholders in Türkiye and Europe, contributing to the goals of the 2025 Year of the Family (16.09.2025).
2. BRIGHT-EU: Jean Monnet Teacher Training on EU Values and Democratic Participation
With the BRIGHT-EU project, led by Prof. Dr. Mustafa Bayrakcı of the Faculty of Education and supported by a €300,000 grant, Sakarya University became the first university in Türkiye to receive Erasmus+ Jean Monnet Teacher Training support. Over three years, the project will train teachers in six provinces, including Sakarya, on EU institutions, values and policies, in line with the national curriculum. The training focuses on inclusiveness and diversity, digital transformation, climate change and democratic participation, through seminars, workshops, field visits and summer schools (30.06.2025)
3. REACT Academy: Capacity Building for Teachers in Post-Disaster Education (Erasmus+ Teacher Academy)
Coordinated by Prof. Dr. Mustafa Bayrakcı, this project brings together universities and institutions from Türkiye, Italy, Sweden, Portugal, Poland and Greece, with the Erenler District Directorate of National Education as a partner. Under the theme “sustainability of education after disasters”, it will build teachers’ skills in crisis management, psychological resilience, digital content use and collaboration over three years (09.10.2025).
4. Violence Prevention Academy with the Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services
Sakarya University established the Violence Prevention Academy in cooperation with the Sakarya Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Services. The Academy aims to strengthen the scientific approach to combating violence against women and to improve cooperation between public institutions and the University. It brings together academics, students, public institutions and civil society organizations. Its first joint program, held for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, covered the causes and social effects of violence, prevention and protection services, and models of public–university cooperation. It was presented as the basis for future joint training, awareness, field and research projects with public institutions (26.11.2025).
These examples show that Sakarya University provides sustained, structured and verifiable training and capacity building to policymakers, local administrators and public-sector professionals throughout 2025.
