Necmettin Erbakan University (NEU) is a state university located in Konya, Türkiye, established on 14 July 2010. The university comprises 20 faculties, 4 institutes, 28 research and application centres, and 8 vocational schools across six campuses. NEU is home to over 37,000 students—including more than 2,000 international students—and is supported by approximately 1,900 academic and 1,150 administrative staff. NEU maintains a dedicated Sustainability Coordination Office, is rated for Sustainability Impact in the THE World University Rankings, and ranks in the top 7.6% worldwide according to CWUR 2025. The university actively engages in Erasmus+ mobility partnerships and EU-funded cooperation projects. Within TranSustainHE, NEU serves as the Project Coordinator, leading the overall management and scientific direction of the consortium across all five work packages—from the scientific analysis and evaluation framework development (WP2), through the digital assessment system design (WP3) and expert workshops (WP4–WP5), to dissemination activities.
Key Personnel:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özdal Koyuncuoğlu (Department of Finance and Banking) – Project Coordinator
Prof. Dr. Fırat Yaldız (Head of Division of International Law) – Researcher & Member of the Steering Committee
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Saadet Korucu Kış (Head of Division of English Language Education) – Researcher
Founded in 1946, Ankara University is the first higher education institution established in the Republic of Türkiye. A leading research university, it comprises 19 faculties, 16 institutes, and 49 research centres, supported by 4,777 academic staff and offering 841 programmes to nearly 70,000 students. Ankara University has a dedicated Department of Climate Change and Sustainability, received the YÖK 2020 Award for Outstanding Achievement in International Cooperation in sustainability, and served as the sole Turkish partner in the THE 2025 Global Sustainable Development Congress. Its AVESİS platform tracks academic contributions aligned with the 17 UN SDGs, and the university has a well-established record in Erasmus+ KA2 cooperation partnerships. Within TranSustainHE, AU assumes the role of Strategic Network & EU Dimension Partner. AU leads three key activities under WP3: the 3rd Transnational Project Meeting, Pilot Implementation in Türkiye and Europe (January), and Pilot Analysis and Reporting.
Key Personnel:
Prof. Dr. Çınar Özen (Director, Centre for European Communities Research and Application, Head of Division of International Politics) – Contact Person, Researcher & Executive Board Member
Dr. Pırıl Akın Ocak (Deputy Director, Centre for European Communities Research and Application) – Researcher & Steering Committee Member
Founded in 1975 in Konya, Selçuk University is one of the largest universities in Türkiye, comprising 24 faculties, 7 institutes, and 5 colleges, with approximately 2,700 academic staff and over 61,000 students from 105 countries. Selçuk University ranks 857th globally and 14th in Türkiye in the QS World University Sustainability Rankings 2025, which evaluates environmental impact, social impact, and governance in line with the 17 UN SDGs. Its 2022–2026 Strategic Plan explicitly prioritises sustainability, social responsibility, and internationalisation. Within TranSustainHE, SU assumes the role of Competency & Digital Content Partner under WP5. SU leads two key activities: Development of a Competency Framework for University Sustainability Offices, structured by staff levels from assistant expert to manager; and Promotion and Dissemination Activities through video series, social media campaigns, and digital storytelling.
Key Personnel:
Prof. Dr. Zeki Bayramoğlu (Vice Rector for Sustainable Campuses, Head of Department of Agricultural Economics) – Researcher & Steering Committee Member
Asst. Prof. Dr. Kamil Ahat (Director, Career Planning Research and Application Centre) – Contact Person, Researcher & Executive Board Member
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hacer Aker (Deputy Director, Career Planning Research and Application Centre) – Researcher
Founded in 1984, the University of Thessaly is the third-largest university in Greece. With campuses across five cities—Volos, Larissa, Karditsa, Trikala, and Lamia—UTH is organised into 8 Schools and 36 Departments, serving over 51,000 students and supported by more than 1,200 teaching and research staff. In 2024, UTH joined the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) initiative, committing to embed the 17 SDGs into every facet of its operations. Its Strategic Plan 2024–2027 designates "Green and Digital University" and "SDG Alignment" as core priorities, with concrete actions including SDG Ambassadors, photovoltaic systems, electric mobility infrastructure, and the "One Planet Thessaly" Entrepreneurship Centre. UTH's Centre for European Projects (CEP) has extensive experience in Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and other EU-funded programmes. Within TranSustainHE, UTH assumes the role of Sustainability Curriculum & Educational Resources Partner, leading three activities under WP4: Curriculum Development for Sustainability Education, Creation of an E-Book on Sustainability in Higher Education, and hosting the 4th Transnational Project Meeting in Greece (May 2027).
Key Personnel:
Prof. Dr. Ioanna V. Papathanasiou (Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences) – Contact Person, Researcher & Executive Board Member
Dr. Athanasios Gkoutzourelas (Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine) – Researcher & Steering Committee Member
Foteini-Despoina Provida (MSc Environmental Education and Sustainability) – Researcher
International Balkan University (IBU) is a foundation-owned, not-for-profit institution established in 2006 in Skopje. It comprises 8 faculties offering 26 undergraduate, 24 master's, and 9 doctoral programmes, serving approximately 3,800 students from more than 20 countries with over 260 academic staff across a modern 50,000 m² campus. IBU identifies Sustainability and Environmental Research as a core strategic priority and has joined the SustainEd University Coalition to advance the SDGs in North Macedonia. As a member of the European University Association, the Balkan Universities Association, and the World Design Organization, IBU maintains strong international networks. Its InnoX Innovation Centre supports sustainability-oriented entrepreneurial initiatives. Within TranSustainHE, IBU assumes the role of Sustainability Office Resources & Outreach Partner, leading two activities: Development of Informative Materials for Sustainability Offices (WP4) and hosting the 2nd Transnational Project Meeting in North Macedonia (WP5, June 2026).
Key Personnel:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Katerina Mitevska Petrusheva (Vice Rector for Research and Projects, Head of Department of Psychological Counselling and Guidance) – Contact Person, Researcher & Executive Board Member
Asst. Prof. Dr. Kristina Velickovska (Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences) – Researcher & Steering Committee Member
OPHIZ is a non-profit, independent research institute founded in 2016 in Maribor, Slovenia. It specialises in applied research in the social sciences—particularly law, governance, and public policy—translating rigorous academic research into actionable insight for evidence-based decision-making and policy development. OPHIZ's team is deeply integrated into the EU academic community, maintaining a solid network of universities and research centres across Europe. The institute carries out intensive research within EU-funded projects, including Erasmus+ partnerships, COST Actions (PROFEEDBACK, IGCOORD), and the LEAGUE project on online safety. Within TranSustainHE, OPHIZ assumes the role of Legal & Governance Framework Partner, leading the Legal-Administrative Framework Development activity under WP3. This involves analysing higher education legislation, sustainability governance structures, and legal protection mechanisms to produce a comprehensive framework for institutionalising sustainability practices at universities.
Key Personnel:
Dr. Noemia Bessa Vilela (General Manager) – Contact Person, Researcher & Executive Board Member
Dr. Ali Galip Ayvat (Head of Research Department) – Researcher & Steering Committee Member
The Konya Plain Project Regional Development Administration (KOP) is a public institution established in 2011 under the Ministry of Industry and Technology. KOP is mandated to accelerate the development of central Anatolia, covering eight provinces, 89 districts, and over 1,600 villages across 12.2% of Türkiye's landmass. The administration focuses on integrated development across agriculture, water management, industry, and green transformation, having supported 1,942 projects over 12 years. A distinguishing feature of KOP is its role as the facilitating body of UNİKOP, a cooperative platform of 13 universities in the KOP region that strengthens inter-university collaboration through annual symposia, multi-stakeholder workshops, and joint project development activities. Within TranSustainHE, KOP assumes the role of Regional Stakeholder Engagement & Pilot Facilitation Partner. KOP leads the Final Meeting: Project Closing Meeting (WP5, October 2027) and plays a critical role throughout the project by facilitating university participation in pilot implementations through the UNİKOP network, connecting the consortium's tools and frameworks with real institutional contexts across the region.
Key Personnel:
Prof. Dr. Yusuf Sayın (Advisor to the KOP President, Head of Division of Political History) – Researcher & Steering Committee Member
Oktay Kanat (Financial Expert) – Contact Person, Researcher & Executive Board Member
Hüseyin Sökmen (EU Project Specialist) – Researcher
Ali Aydın İdiz (Administrative Specialist) – Researcher
This project is co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme (2021–2027), Key Action 2 – Cooperation Partnerships in Higher Education, administered by the Turkish National Agency (TR01), Grant Agreement No. 2025-1-TR01-KA220-HED-000362010.
TranSustain HE Project Coordination Team
TranSustain HE Project Coordinator
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