Kastamonu University organized a "University-Business Consultation Meeting" on July 31, 2025, in the Senate Hall to develop university-industry cooperation, contribute to employment, and formulate new strategies for regional development goals.The meeting brought together university administration and important representatives from the business world, paving the way for the evaluation of mutual idea exchange and collaboration opportunities.

 The meeting was attended by Kastamonu University Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hamdi Topal, Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Ömer Küçük and Prof. Dr. Selahattin Kaymakcı, Acting Secretary General Assoc. Prof. Dr. İbrahim Demirbaş, faculty representatives, and nearly 50 representatives from the business world in the industry, commerce, agriculture, tourism, and public sectors. 

In his opening speech at the meeting, our Rector stated that Kastamonu University has gone beyond being just an educational institution and has taken on a strategic role in the city's social, cultural, and economic development. "As a university, in addition to producing knowledge, we have the responsibility to transfer this knowledge to the field." Our rector, who said, "We want to contribute to our city and region by collaborating with our industrialists, entrepreneurs, and public administrators," also informed the attendees of the meeting about the university's accomplishments in the areas of entrepreneurship, R&D, specialization, and patents.

 Our rector also stated that among the primary goals determined in line with the 2025-2029 Strategic Plan, areas such as enhancing the quality of education, strengthening practical training, producing innovative projects through the Technopolis and technology transfer office, providing sectoral consultancy services, and developing community-oriented projects stand out.

 Our Rector emphasized the importance of ensuring the continuity of such platforms, stating that the feedback received during the Advisory Board Meeting held on July 18, 2025, greatly contributed to the university's vision. "This endeavor is also being continued at today's conference. "Hearing the voices of our stakeholders in decision-making processes is the key to strengthening the university-city integration," he stated.

The meeting addressed the determination of the qualified workforce needed by local sectors and the creation of specialized training programs and certification courses for these areas. Particular emphasis was placed on the shortages of human resources in sectors such as industry, agriculture, tourism, forestry products, and healthcare.

 Our Rector, highlighting the significant progress made by the university in the field of specialization, stated that they aim to transform Kastamonu's natural resources into economic and social development through the 48 projects carried out under the title "Forestry and Nature Tourism."

Representatives from the business world who attended the meeting expressed their satisfaction with the development of Kastamonu University and stated that they were ready to work more closely with the university.The message was conveyed that collaboration could be made in both accessing qualified workforce and in the fields of R&D and social responsibility. 

At the end of the meeting, it was decided to form a joint working group to follow up on the proposals and to repeat such consultation meetings at regular intervals.

Additionally, it was proposed to establish a special communication platform for more effectively transferring information sources shared by the university with the public, such as reports, academic outputs, master's and doctoral theses, to the business world. 

Kastamonu University continues to combine scientific knowledge with practice, offering students a stronger future and leading the region's development. This meeting, where the university-city-industry collaboration gained new momentum, was recorded as an important step towards this goal.