Principles and Procedures

RESEARCHER CAREER SUPPORT PROGRAM FOR ATILIM UNIVERSITY STUDENTS (ATAK)

PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM

The program aims to encourage Atılım University students to conduct research through projects based on their own ideas, to provide a culture of project preparation, and to support them in preparation for national or international competitions where they represent Atılım University.

THE SCOPE OF GRANTS

Atılım University students are provided with the support for expenses for items such as machinery/ equipment, consumables, and service purchases required for their research during the execution of their projects.

AMOUNT AND DURATION OF GRANTS

The maximum duration for research project grants is 12 months. The amounts determined by the Board of Trustees and announced by the Directorate of ARGEDA-TTO at the beginning of each academic year.

TERMS OF APPLICATION

  • Applicants are required to be students in associate or undergraduate degree programs of Atılım University. Students in preparatory school, or those with a single semester before graduation may not apply or take part in project teams.
  • The research project is required to be executed under the guidance of a full-time faculty member or administrative advisor employed as a researcher at Atılım University. An academic advisor may take part in maximum 2 projects within a single semester.
  • Applications may be made individually or as a team. In case of team applications, a project executive is determined with the approval of the project team. A maximum of 4 students may take part in a project, in addition to the project executive. Only one advisor related to the project topic may take part in a project.
  • The project of application must not previously have been supported by Atılım University through an internal support program.

EVALUATION

During the preliminary examination phase, application documents are checked. Applications that do not meet the application conditions, that have missing documents, or that are not in the required format are eliminated and returned during the preliminary examination, without evaluation.

Applications that pass the preliminary examination are evaluated by a board to be established by the Directorate of ARGEDA-TTO. During the evaluation, a presentation is made by the project team.

A contract is signed between the project manager and team and the University for projects to be supported.

SUPPORT LIMITS

  1. Machinery and equipment costs related to the project are covered within determined limits.
  2. Costs for consumables such as materials, tools, testing equipment etc. related to the project are covered within limits.
  3. Software expenses related to the project are covered within limits.
  4. The service procurement expenses required within the scope of the project are covered within limits, if documented accordingly.
  5. Transportation and travel expenses for the urban or extra-urban field studies within the scope of the project are covered within limits, if documented. Invitation, hospitality and organization expenses within the scope of the project are not covered.
  6. Depending on budget availability, participation in events such as competitions, conferences, symposiums, and congresses may be covered within limits, within the scope of the project. To be eligible for such grants for event participation, no means of support must be received via university resources other than the program itself.
  7. The project budget must be prepared taking into account the prices that include the VAT for domestic purchases. For foreign purchases, the FOB value (only in foreign currencies) must be specified.
  8. All expenditure items must be distributed proportionally, not exceeding the project support limit, and should be included in the project budget.
  9. Suggestions for project expenses within the scope of the ATAK program other than the items above are evaluated by the ARGEDAT-TTO Executive Board and, if deemed appropriate, may be accepted with the approval of the Board of Trustees.
  10. A fund is determined for the project executive to be used in individual research activities, depending on the content of the ATAK project. The amount of the relevant fund is determined by the ARGEDA-TTO Executive Board, and the fund may be used by the project executive with the approval of the Board of Trustees. The purchasing procedures of the University are to be followed for the purposes of the fund in question.

OTHER ISSUES

  1. Within the scope of the program, two calls are made within an academic year and the relevant dates are announced by the Directorate of ARGEDA-TTO.
  2. Dissertation project proposals shall not be taken into consideration. If a such violation is detected, the project support shall be terminated, and the amount of support provided within the scope of the project shall be collected from the students participating in the project.
  3. Project Executives may not apply for multiple projects within a single academic year.
  4. Students in a project team may not take part in a different project before the supported project is completed.
  5. Project team students may be expelled from the project with the approval of the Project Executive upon failure to fulfill their responsibilities in the studies conducted within the scope of the project.
  6. Students in the project team may not engage in any development and commercialization activities related to the project idea without the written permission of the Presidency.
  7. All rights to arise throughout the project process as per the Law on Intellectual and Artistic Works and the Industrial Property Law shall belong to Atılım University.
  8. A project enters into force when the project team signs the contract prepared by the university.
  9. The purchasing processes related to project expenses are undertaken by the Directorate of ARGEDA-TTO upon the justified request of the project executive and the approval of the advisor.

Decisions regarding the issues not covered by the procedures and principles are at the discretion of the Executive Board of the Directorate of ARGEDA-TTO, and may be subject to approvals by the President and the Board of Trustees.