Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University (BEUN), in cooperation with the Zonguldak Governorship, the Zonguldak Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Zonguldak Provincial Directorate of Industry and Technology, the Western Black Sea Development Agency (BAKKA), and the Zonguldak Chamber of Commerce and Industry, successfully held the “Zonguldak Industrial Property Rights Awareness Workshop” with broad participation.
The workshop, organized at Dedeman Hotel, hosted an important event that brought together public institutions, the university, industrial organizations, and the business world on the same platform, addressing the process extending from idea to production and from production to branding.
The program was attended by Zonguldak Deputy Governor Muammer Balcı, Zonguldak Deputy Mayor Erol Yılmaz, Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı Özölçer, Provincial Director of Industry and Technology Metin Vural, BEUN Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Şenol Hakan Kutoğlu, Head of Zonguldak Chamber of Commerce and Industry Metin Demir, Provincial Director of Family and Social Services Mehmet Türkmen Köse, Head of the Worker’s Union Veli Köktürk, representatives from TÜRKPATENT, HAVELSAN, Eren Energy, and ERDEMİR, as well as many academics, businesspeople, and students.
Program Began with a Moment of Silence and Musical Performance
The program began with a moment of silence in memory of the nation’s martyrs and the singing of the National Anthem. Afterwards, a musical performance by academics from the BEUN State Conservatory received great appreciation from the participants.
Vural: “Common sense and cooperation are of great importance”
In his opening speech, Zonguldak Provincial Director of Industry and Technology Metin Vural stated that industrial property rights have become one of the important elements of development today and used the following expressions:
“Today, we have come together here in line with the common goals of our city. Protecting knowledge, labor, and innovative ideas has now become not only an individual matter but also a social and economic responsibility. I would like to thank all the institutions that contributed to the realization of this meaningful organization, especially our Zonguldak Governorship, Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, our Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, our Western Black Sea Development Agency, our Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and all institutions that contributed. I believe that with the strengthening of university-industry cooperation, our city will reach a stronger position in the fields of production and entrepreneurship.”
Prof. Dr. Saraç: “Knowledge only transforms into social value when it is protected”
Prof. Dr. Şenay Saraç, Head of the BEUN Industrial Property Rights Unit, emphasized the importance of industrial property rights in her speech and stated the following:
“Today, under the leadership of our University, we are doing an important workshop in Zonguldak. As academics, we express that it is highly important to strengthen a common understanding that values knowledge, production, and innovative ideas. Today, development is no longer based solely on production. It also involves being able to protect the produced knowledge, transform it into a brand, and convert it into economic value. Industrial property rights, extending from patents to trademarks and from designs to geographical indications, are among the important fields that directly affect the competitiveness of countries. Universities, in particular, have become strategic centers that produce knowledge, develop technology, and guide society. At this point, the vision and support demonstrated by our Rector, Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı Özölçer, are extremely valuable for us. Significant achievements have been accomplished thanks to the awareness created at our University regarding the protection of scientific production. As a result of the work carried out over the last four years, our University’s rise to 19th place in the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office university rankings has become a great source of pride for us.”
Prof. Dr. Kutoğlu: “University-industry cooperation is highly important for the development of our city”
BEUN Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Şenol Hakan Kutoğlu, in his speech within the scope of the workshop, stated that industrial property rights are also of great importance in terms of economic development and expressed the following remarks:
“It is highly valuable that universities, public institutions, and industrial organizations have come together here today in line with common goals. In our age, where knowledge production is rapidly increasing, protecting the produced idea and transforming it into social benefit is of great importance. Universities are institutions that add value to their cities, regions, and countries. For this reason, we consider the strengthening of university-industry cooperation extremely valuable. I would like to express my gratitude to our Rector, Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı Özölçer, who pioneered the organization of this meaningful workshop and made significant contributions to the development of scientific production and industrial property culture at our university. At the same time, I would like to thank our Zonguldak Governorship, our Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, our Provincial Directorate of Industry and Technology, our Western Black Sea Development Agency, our Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and all institutions and organizations that contributed. I believe that the exchange of ideas and atmosphere of cooperation established here today will provide important gains for the future of our city.”
Rector Özölçer: “Scientific production is a strategic force shaping the future of our country”
Making evaluations within the scope of the program, BEUN Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı Özölçer stated that industrial property rights are not only legal matters but also an important part of scientific, economic, and social development, expressing the following words:
“In our age, the true wealth of nations is measured by the knowledge, technology, and innovative ideas produced by the human mind. Societies that produce, research, and develop can achieve significant success only to the extent that they are able to protect these values they create. Today, universities are not merely institutions that provide education and prepare individuals for professions. They are pioneering centers that produce qualified and solution-oriented knowledge, develop technology, guide society, and contribute to the development of their countries. As Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, we do not regard scientific studies merely as academic outputs. We consider these outputs as an important force contributing to the future of our beloved country.
We attach great importance to raising our young people as individuals who research, question, produce, and develop ideas. Because we believe that if ideas are protected, production grows; and if production grows, development becomes stronger. When the knowledge accumulation of our universities combines with the production power of our industry, not only economic value will emerge, but also a strong vision for the future. On this occasion, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the organization of such a valuable workshop.”
Workshop Concluded with Strong Interest
During the workshop, which continued with presentations by experts in their respective fields, many important topics such as patent processes, trademark management, technology transfer, the entrepreneurship ecosystem, geographical indications, and university-industry cooperation were discussed. Following the presentations and speeches, the workshop came to an end.
