ISTANBUL SEHIR UNIVERSITESI

Their core work

Istanbul Sehir University was a Turkish university that combined electrical engineering research with mental health intervention science. Their earlier work focused on wireless circuit design — switched capacitor DC-DC converters and wideband directional channel characterization for next-generation wireless systems. Their later and more substantial H2020 involvement centered on designing and evaluating psychosocial interventions for refugee populations, particularly within the Syrian refugee crisis context. This dual profile reflects a university with distinct research groups contributing independently to EU projects.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

The university's H2020 trajectory shows a clear pivot from electrical engineering to global mental health. Their 2015-2016 projects (SCDCDC, FM-4NXTG) were MSCA fellowships in wireless circuit design and channel characterization — individual researcher mobility grants. By 2017-2018, their participation shifted entirely to large-scale health research (STRENGTHS, RE-DEFINE), both addressing psychosocial interventions in the Syrian refugee crisis through rigorous RCT and implementation evaluation methods.

Their trajectory pointed toward becoming a regional hub for evidence-based mental health research in conflict-affected populations, though the university's closure in 2020 halted this direction.

How they like to work

Sehir operated primarily as a participant (3 of 4 projects), joining established consortia rather than leading them. Their single coordination was a small MSCA fellowship (SCDCDC), while their larger-budget health projects placed them within broad international teams. With 23 unique partners across 10 countries, they demonstrated wide but shallow network connections typical of a university building its EU research profile.

Collaborated with 23 distinct partners across 10 countries, suggesting broad European reach for a Turkish university with only 4 projects. The geographic spread likely reflects the multi-country nature of the refugee mental health consortia they joined.

What sets them apart

Sehir's distinctive value lay in their geographic position — a Turkish university with direct access to one of the largest Syrian refugee host populations in the world, combined with rigorous implementation science capacity. This made them a critical local partner for European consortia studying refugee mental health interventions. Note: Istanbul Sehir University was closed by government decree in 2020, which limits future collaboration prospects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• RE-DEFINE
  Largest single grant (EUR 341,338) and combined digital health with refugee psychosocial intervention — a cross-sector approach bridging health and digital.
• STRENGTHS
  Five-year project (2017-2022) on scaling mental health systems for the Syrian refugee crisis, representing Sehir's most sustained EU research commitment.
• SCDCDC
  Their only coordinated project, in a completely different domain (electronics), showing the breadth of the university's research base.