Within the scope of the contract signed between Kırklareli University and TÜBİTAK TÜSSİDE on November 2, 2020, Regional Development Oriented R&D Strategy and Roadmap of Kırklareli University will be prepared.

The aim of the Regional Development Oriented Universities Project (YÖK) is for the universities selected for the project to prioritize the development of the region in which they are located. Universities within this scope will specialize in different fields. The area in which Kırklareli University will specialize has been determined as 'food'. In this direction, in cooperation with Kırklareli University and TÜBİTAK TÜSSİDE, the R&D Strategy and Road Map of the university will be created with a focus on food regional development.

The opening meeting of the project was held on November 12, 2020 at Kırklareli University. At the opening meeting attended by the faculty members of the Food Engineering department of Kırklareli University, representatives of the Technology Transfer Office and the Strategy Development Department, TÜSSİDE project team Chief Researcher Barış ÇARIKCI and Specialist Researcher Seda CELEP made a presentation on the project plan and then visited Kırklareli University Rector Prof. Dr. Bülent ŞENGÖRÜR in his office. On the same day, the first stakeholder interviews of the project were completed; faculty members and staff of the Department of Food Engineering and the province's food ecosystem were evaluated on their expectations and goals as a result of the specialization studies.