The results of TÜSEB’s 2026 Group A and Group B R&D funding calls in the fields of health sciences and technologies have been announced. Nine projects from Bilkent University were awarded funding through the two programs, which support graduate students (Group A) and full-time academic researchers (Group B).
According to TÜSEB data, 454 projects under Group A and 182 projects under Group B were selected for funding in the 2026 calls. The funding rates were 35.83% and 22.30%, respectively. Bilkent University achieved an overall success rate of approximately 45% in these calls. We congratulate our researchers and wish them a productive and successful project period.
Group B Awarded Projects
• Onur Çizmecioğlu (MBG) – Investigation of Ferroptotic Vulnerability in Cystinosis Genotypes Specific to the Turkish Population through Functional and Multi-Omics Analyses
• Engin Durgun (UNAM) – Development of a Molecularly Imprinted Optical Sensor for Rapid Detection of Cervical Cancer Based on Extracellular Vesicles
• Özlem Aybüke Işık Bozbay (MBG) – Nerve–tumor crosstalk and novel combination therapy strategies in PIK3CA-H1047R mutant breast cancer
Group A Awarded Projects
• Bülend Ortaç (UNAM) – Use of an 808 nm-Excited UCNP-LOx-PO Ratiometric Nanosensor Platform for Rapid Lactate Detection (Collaborative Project)
• Aleyna Nur Akatay (MBG) – Combinatorial Targeting of PI3K and Sphingomyelin Metabolism in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer
• Muazzez Çelebi Çınar (MBG) – BrainPrism: A Web Application for Cell-Type-Specific Transcriptome Mapping from Bulk RNA-seq Data in Mouse Brain Tissue
• Nil Kılıç (UNAM) – Investigation of Non-Coding RNA-Mediated Immunomodulatory Effects of Lung Cancer Cell-Derived Exosomes on NK-92 Cell Functions
• Gizem Sunar Çetin (UNAM) – Investigating the Role of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Lung Pre-Metastatic Niche Dynamics
• Dilşad Taydaş Tolga (UNAM) – Development of Therapeutic Thermo-Responsive P(NIPAM-co-AAm)-Based Microneedles for Fever Treatment and Evaluation of Their Efficacy in an In Vivo Mouse Fever Model
