ANADOLU UNIVERSITY

Their core work

Anadolu University is a large Turkish public university based in Eskisehir, known for its distance education programs and applied social science research. In H2020, they contributed expertise in social inclusion, radicalization studies, human factors engineering, and smart city transformation. Their work spans understanding cultural dynamics in crisis situations, designing trust-based e-assessment systems, and developing community-level strategies for engaging vulnerable populations — combining social science methodology with technology-assisted approaches.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Anadolu University's H2020 involvement began (2015-2017) with technically oriented projects: smart city infrastructure (REMOURBAN), transport safety (IMPACT, STRESS), and e-learning technology (TeSLA). From 2017 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward social science and inclusion — studying radicalization dynamics (DARE) and designing strategies for displaced and vulnerable populations (RAISD). This evolution suggests the university increasingly applied its social science and education research strengths to pressing European societal challenges.

Anadolu is moving toward applied social research on migration, inclusion, and community resilience — expect future work in integration policy, displaced populations, and participatory governance.

How they like to work

Anadolu University participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator, which is typical for a Turkish university in H2020 given the associated country status. With 80 unique consortium partners across 23 countries from just 6 projects, they operate in large, diverse consortia (averaging ~15 partners per project). This makes them an experienced team player comfortable working within complex multinational setups, though they rely on other organizations for project leadership.

Anadolu has built a broad European network of 80 partners across 23 countries through 6 projects, giving them wide geographic exposure despite being a non-EU associated country participant. Their partnerships span Western and Southern Europe, reflecting the large consortium structures of their projects.

What sets them apart

Anadolu University brings a distinctive combination of social science research capacity and deep expertise in distance education (it is one of the world's largest open universities by enrollment). For European consortia, they offer a credible Turkish partner with genuine research capacity in social inclusion, radicalization studies, and community engagement — topics where Turkey's geographic and cultural position between Europe and the Middle East provides valuable perspective. Their shift toward migration and inclusion research positions them well for Horizon Europe's Cluster 2 calls.

Highlights from their portfolio

• RAISD
  Their largest funded project (EUR 278,250), focused on reshaping inclusion strategies for forcibly displaced people — a topic of high policy relevance.
• REMOURBAN
  A major smart city lighthouse project (2015-2020) demonstrating sustainable urban regeneration across multiple European cities.
• DARE
  Addressed the sensitive intersection of radicalization, gender, and youth equality — a research area where few Turkish universities have H2020 presence.