Bilkent University has been awarded funding under the European Union’s Horizon Europe WIDERA Twinning program. The TWIST (Twinning Initiative for Soft Robotics Transition) project, to be led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Onur Özcan from Bilkent University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME), includes Prof. Dr. Evren Samur (ME), who will soon join the university, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bilge Baytekin from the Department of Chemistry in its research team. This initiative establishes a strategic international partnership aimed at advancing research, institutional capacity, and technological innovation in the field of sustainable soft robotics.
The project unites Bilkent University with leading European research institutions:
- Polymer Competence Center Leoben (PCCL) (Austria)
- École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) (Switzerland)
- University of Bristol (United Kingdom)
- Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) (Italy)
TWIST addresses three core priorities: bridging expertise across sustainable materials, AI-driven generative design, and soft robotics; expanding integration with European academic networks; and upgrading institutional project development and tech transfer practices.
These objectives will be driven by a Bilkent-centered “train-implement-mentor-integrate-communicate” framework. Key initiatives include joint exploratory research, mentoring exchanges, international workshops, a dedicated summer school, research management shadowing, and broad public outreach through Science Café and Business Connect events. By uniting knowledge transfer with structural capacity building, TWIST will consolidate the Bilkent Soft Robotics Hub while delivering enduring scientific, institutional, and societal impact.