In 2025, Near East University participated in international collaborations that gathered, harmonised, measured, analysed and interpreted data relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals. Working with academic partners in Türkiye and Australia, the University contributed to shared analytical frameworks, comparable epidemiological measurements, laboratory datasets, genomic analysis and internationally accessible scientific data.

These collaborations focused on health-related sustainability challenges under SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being, including HIV transmission and antimicrobial resistance. The international partnerships enabled data from different sources and settings to be analysed within common methodological frameworks, supporting comparability, measurement and evidence-based understanding of SDG-related health challenges.

International Collaboration in HIV Data Measurement and Analysis

In 2025, researchers from Near East University and the Kocaeli University in Türkiye collaborated on the gathering, measurement, harmonisation and analysis of HIV-related data. The work was documented in the report “International Collaboration in the Measurement and Analysis of HIV Data: Global, Türkiye, and Cyprus Perspectives.”

The international collaboration was established specifically to contribute to the gathering, measurement and analysis of data relevant to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being. Researchers from the two institutions jointly contributed to the analytical design, selection of model parameters and interpretation of mathematical modelling outputs.

The study integrated epidemiological and demographic datasets from internationally recognised sources including the World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), national public-health authorities and demographic databases. WHO, UNAIDS and ECDC served as data sources, while the international academic collaboration itself was conducted between Near East University and the Kocaeli University.

Rather than analysing these datasets separately, the research team harmonised them within a shared mathematical modelling framework. This enabled demographic, epidemiological and treatment-related data to be evaluated consistently across global, national (Türkiye) and regional (Northern Cyprus) contexts, strengthening methodological comparability between geographical settings.

Global R₀ 1.13 | Türkiye R₀ 1.05 | Cyprus R₀ 0.778

The analysis estimated an R₀ of 1.13 globally, 1.05 for Türkiye and 0.778 for Cyprus, providing comparable quantitative measures of HIV transmission dynamics across the three geographical contexts. The study also used the harmonised datasets to conduct 15-year simulations, allowing researchers to examine how HIV transmission could develop over time under current epidemiological conditions.

Through the joint harmonisation of datasets, shared analytical design, quantitative measurement and comparative modelling, the collaboration established a consistent framework for evaluating HIV-related indicators across different geographical contexts. The report explicitly identifies the framework as supporting the measurement and monitoring of progress related to SDG 3.3, as well as public-health monitoring, future projections and evidence-informed decision-making.

This collaboration therefore provides direct evidence of Near East University’s participation in international data gathering, harmonisation and measurement for the Sustainable Development Goals.

International Collaboration on Genomic Data Generation and Sharing

In 2025, Near East University continued its international research collaboration with La Trobe University, Australia, generating new microbiological and genomic findings relevant to antimicrobial resistance and infectious disease research.

Within this international research programme, researchers investigated bacteriophages isolated from a natural pond on the Near East University campus and active against antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Genomic analysis completed within the collaborative research identified one of the previously isolated bacteriophages as a previously unknown virus species belonging to a previously undescribed genus. The new genus was named Alasiavirus and was introduced to the international scientific literature in 2025.

The genomic characterisation of Alasiavirus generated new internationally relevant reference information for the identification and classification of bacteriophages with similar characteristics. Through comparative genomic analysis and international scientific collaboration, Near East University and La Trobe University contributed new data to research on bacteriophages targeting antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections.

This collaboration supports SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being, particularly through research addressing antimicrobial resistance, while its international generation and interpretation of scientific data also supports SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals.

Extending International Data on Bacteriophage Susceptibility and Antibiotic Resistance

Laboratory measurements demonstrated that the newly isolated bacteriophage could neutralise bacterial strains that were resistant to the bacteriophages identified earlier in the research programme. These measurements generated additional comparative data on bacteriophage susceptibility and resistance and expanded the evidence base on the effectiveness of different phages against resistant bacterial strains.

The results supported the development of a three-phage combination designed to broaden activity against different strains of antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The work forms part of the continuing joint research programme between Near East University and La Trobe University and demonstrates ongoing international data generation, laboratory measurement and comparative analysis in 2025.

Together, these activities generated new scientific evidence relevant to antimicrobial resistance as a global health challenge and contributed to SDG 3 and SDG 17.