We are happy to announce that we have 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, includes Prof. Dr. Evren Samur and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bilge Baytekin. This initiative establishes a strategic international partnership aimed at advancing research, institutional capacity, and technological innovation in the field of sustainable soft robotics.
The other institutions involved in the project:
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 technology transfer practices.
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 long-term scientific, institutional, and societal impact.