ISTANBUL MEDIPOL UNIVERSITESI

Their core work

Istanbul Medipol University is a Turkish private university active in diverse research areas spanning biomedical sciences, telecommunications, legal studies, and embedded systems. In H2020, they coordinated early-career researcher fellowships (Marie Skłodowska-Curie) in neuroscience and wireless communications, while more recently joining larger consortia in Central Asian legal studies and AI-enabled microcontroller technology. Their research portfolio is unusually broad for a mid-sized university, reflecting an institution still defining its core EU research identity.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2015-2018), IMU focused on individual researcher mobility through MSCA fellowships, coordinating projects in neuroscience and wireless communications — topics driven by specific researchers rather than institutional strategy. From 2020 onward, the university shifted toward participating in larger thematic consortia covering Central Asian governance and embedded AI systems. This transition from hosting individual fellows to joining multi-partner research networks suggests a maturing institution broadening its European research footprint.

IMU is diversifying from individual researcher grants toward consortium-based participation in digital technology and social science networks, signaling growing institutional capacity for collaborative EU research.

How they like to work

IMU splits evenly between coordinating and participating — their two coordinator roles were small MSCA fellowships (essentially hosting individual researchers), while their participant roles are in larger multi-partner consortia. With 61 unique partners across 17 countries from just 4 projects, their network is broad but largely inherited from the consortia they joined. This is an institution gaining European experience rather than one that anchors large networks.

Through 4 projects, IMU has connected with 61 partners across 17 countries — a wide but shallow network driven primarily by their participation in the large StorAIge and CENTRAL ASIAN LAW consortia. Their geographic reach spans Europe and Central Asia, reflecting both their location as a bridge country and the thematic scope of recent projects.

What sets them apart

IMU's positioning as a Turkish private university gives it a natural bridge role between European and Central Asian research communities, as demonstrated by the CENTRAL ASIAN LAW project. Their unusually diverse portfolio — spanning neuroscience, telecom, law, and embedded systems — means they can contribute regional expertise and interdisciplinary perspectives that more specialized institutions cannot. For consortium builders, IMU offers Turkish market access and Widening Country participation benefits.

Highlights from their portfolio

• VMHCIRCUITS
  Their largest funded project (EUR 145,846) and a coordinator role, focused on brain circuits regulating metabolism — their strongest single-project investment.
• StorAIge
  Their entry into the digital/AI hardware space as part of a major Innovation Action consortium developing next-generation microcontrollers with embedded AI.
• CENTRAL ASIAN LAW
  Unusual thematic niche combining legal cultures, corruption studies, and post-Soviet governance — leverages Turkey's geographic and cultural proximity to Central Asia.