Our Themes

Columbia Global Centers | Istanbul serves as a hub for Columbia programs and initiatives relevant to Turkey and the region. The Center aims to contribute to the academic and research environment of Turkey across a variety of fields, while also allowing members of the Columbia community to increase their knowledge and explore academic opportunities within Turkey.

A key priority is to enhance the intellectual profile of the Center through hosting research projects and fellows whose work can make a discernable impact on issues of importance to the local and regional context, particularly in the areas identified above. The Center aims to further contribute to its local and regional context through outreach and capacity building efforts. Engaging Columbia students in the global agenda and enhancing Turkish studies on campus are other important priorities for the Istanbul Center. It is also in the Center’s long-term strategy to broaden programming that engages the nearby regions of the Middle East, Balkans, Black Sea, Caucasus, and the Eastern Mediterranean.

If you are interested in partnering on a thematic program, please contact our Program Officer, Ata Turkoglu ([email protected]).

Areas of Focus

Additional areas of interest include:

  • Innovation, leadership, finance and entrepreneurship.
  • Foreign policy and international relations, especially focused on Transatlantic Relations (US, Turkey, EU); Turkey and the region (Middle East, EU, Central Asia); energy corridors surrounding Turkey.
  • Capacity building efforts, through executive education and professional development opportunities across different fields (government officials, business professionals, educators and researchers).