The results of the "Entrepreneurial and Innovative University Index" for 2024, published annually by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), have been announced.  In the index where universities are evaluated based on criteria such as research and development (R&D) capacity, project production capability, academic publication performance, entrepreneurship ecosystem, and collaboration activities, Kastamonu University ranked second in the TR8 Level 1 Statistical Region Unit (Western Black Sea). 

Our university ranked second in the region after Ondokuz Mayıs University, while Karabük University came in third. In Turkey, the performance of 197 universities was analyzed. The results of the top 50 universities and the regional rankings were announced. 

Several universities in the TR8 region, including Kastamonu, Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit, Karabük, Bartın, Çankırı Karatekin, Sinop, Ondokuz Mayıs, Samsun, Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa, Hitit, and Amasya, were evaluated. 

Strategic Rise in R&D, Entrepreneurship, and Collaboration 
Our university, despite not being among the top 50 universities in Turkey in the 2024 Entrepreneurial and Innovative University Index announced by TÜBİTAK, achieved the success of ranking second in the TR8 Level 1 Statistical Region Unit (Western Black Sea) ranking.  

This success was due to recent strategic actions aimed at boosting research and development, encouraging academic work, increasing projects that involve partnerships with industry, more patent applications, greater academic involvement in national and international projects, support for student entrepreneurship, and starting technology transfer processes. 

With the increase in the number of patents registered at our university that have commercialization potential, efforts will be made in the upcoming period to achieve the goal of being among the top 50 universities in Turkey.

In his evaluation on the topic, our Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hamdi Topal stated the following: 
"The fact that our University ranked second in the TR8 Western Black Sea Region in the 2024 Entrepreneurial and Innovative University Index announced by TÜBİTAK has pleased us." This success is the joint product of our faculty members' scientific productivity, our students' participation in entrepreneurial activities, and the constructive collaborations we have established with the public, private sector, and civil society. Our goal is not only to maintain this success but also to climb higher in the national rankings and to continue by increasing our regional contributions. 

Our Rector expressed gratitude to Prof. Dr. Orhan Aydın, the President of TÜBİTAK, for their support of scientific research and projects, and also extended thanks to Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar, the President of the Higher Education Council, and the YÖK members for their encouraging approaches to our institution's project work. 

Goal for 2025 and Beyond: Leadership in Innovation 
Our university aims to continue its innovation-focused transformation, spread the culture of entrepreneurship to the grassroots, and strengthen university-industry collaborations in line with its strategic roadmap covering 2025 and beyond. In this context, it is aimed to develop and continue the works carried out within the scope of Kastamonu Technopolis, research centers, student communities, and the Kastamonu University Technology Transfer Office (KÜTTO) in a way that will more effectively contribute to regional development and the production of innovative projects at the national level.