Research
A long-term strategic partnership has been launched between Newcastle University and Hacettepe University under the leadership of the Sabri Ülker Foundation. The partnership establishes an international scientific platform to support the development of future research leaders. It will strengthen scientific collaboration between Türkiye and the United Kingdom in the field of healthy child development, building a sustainable research network through joint studies, researcher exchange programmes and international scientific symposia. Over the four-year programme, the partners will conduct joint research, develop researcher exchange programmes and organise annual international scientific symposia, hosted alternately in the two countries.
Healthy child development is one of the most pressing priorities on the global agenda. Supporting balanced eating habits, increasing physical activity, protecting metabolic health and promoting mental wellbeing are fundamental to children’s healthy development and lifelong health. Lasting solutions in this field depend not only on robust research but also on international scientific partnerships that bring together countries, disciplines and researchers around shared goals.
For more than 15 years, the Sabri Ülker Foundation has supported the dissemination of reliable scientific knowledge, research that contributes to public health and the development of young scientists. The Foundation is now taking this vision to a new stage internationally.
As part of this effort, a Strategic Research and Capacity Development Partnership has been established under the leadership of the Sabri Ülker Foundation, bringing together Newcastle University’s Population Health Sciences Institute and School of Biomedical, Nutritional and Sport Sciences, and the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics within Hacettepe University’s Faculty of Health Sciences. The partnership will undertake long-term international research in childhood nutrition, physical activity, metabolic health and mental wellbeing.
Beyond conducting joint research, the partnership aims to develop future research leaders, strengthen international scientific networks, build research capacity and translate scientific evidence into public health practice.
The four-year programme will support three doctoral researchers through an international supervisory model.
Research will examine the effects of nutritional interventions on metabolic health, cognitive performance and mental wellbeing in school-aged children.
The programme will also investigate children’s eating behaviours and physical activity habits during the transition from primary to secondary school.
As part of the programme:
The partnership will establish a sustainable model of collaboration extending beyond joint research to encompass doctoral training, researcher exchanges, international scientific governance and the joint generation of knowledge. In doing so, it will evolve beyond a single research project into a long-term international scientific platform.
Yahya Ülker, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Sabri Ülker Foundation, emphasised that investing in future scientific leaders is one of the strongest foundations for scientific progress and humanity’s shared future:
“For more than 15 years, the Sabri Ülker Foundation has supported initiatives that help translate reliable scientific knowledge into benefits for society.
We believe that scientific progress depends not only on supporting research but also on developing the scientists who will carry it out and connecting them with international research networks.
That is why we see the protocol signed today as much more than a collaboration between two universities. We see it as a lasting scientific bridge between Türkiye and international research networks.
Through this partnership, we will do more than generate new research. We will also build a sustainable scientific ecosystem in which scientists from different countries work together, generate knowledge, share experience and nurture future research leaders.
We believe that investing in future scientific leaders means investing in the future of humanity. Every investment in science is an investment in a healthier, stronger and more sustainable future.
We remain firmly committed to supporting young researchers, strengthening international scientific networks and expanding scientific partnerships that contribute to public health.”
Professor Bernard Corfe, Director of Newcastle University’s Human Nutrition and Exercise Research Centre, emphasised that advancing healthy child development and addressing global challenges require interdisciplinary and international research collaboration.
“The programme aims not only to produce scientific publications but also to integrate young researchers into international research networks, develop joint educational models and build sustainable scientific capacity across the two countries,” Corfe said.
Professor Zehra Büyüktuncer Demirel, a faculty member in the Division of Nutritional Sciences within Hacettepe University’s Department of Nutrition and Dietetics and a member of the Sabri Ülker Foundation’s Scientific Board, stated that the partnership would enhance the international visibility of Türkiye’s nutrition and public health research.
“We believe this model will help young researchers become more fully integrated into the global scientific ecosystem and serve as an exemplary model of collaboration for long-term scientific capacity development,” Demirel said.
Through this strategic partnership:
