In 2025, Near East University provided direct academic and technical input into SDG-related policy development through collaboration with government bodies, regional civil-society organisations, professional organisations and other public stakeholders.

These collaborations supported different stages of policy development, including identifying problems and challenges, developing policies and strategies, evaluating possible interventions, strengthening monitoring and reporting mechanisms, and providing evidence for public decision-making. The University contributed expertise in regional resilience, sustainable urban development and industrial governance, linking academic knowledge with policy processes relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals.

Policy Development for Regional Resilience in the Eastern Mediterranean

In 2025, the Near East University Near East Institute convened the roundtable “From the Middle East to the Eastern Mediterranean: Intersecting Crises and Regional Implications.” The initiative brought together academics, representatives of NGOs, experts, representatives of relevant government institutions and officials from international organisations. It was explicitly designed to strengthen university–civil society–government cooperation and to provide direct input into regional policy-development processes.

Participants identified interconnected problems and challenges affecting the Eastern Mediterranean, including energy security, climate risks, refugee movements, economic vulnerabilities, diplomacy and regional security. They considered policy actions under different regional scenarios, identified areas requiring intervention, and discussed frameworks for monitoring future developments and interventions.

The discussions also generated proposals for concrete policy actions and assessment reports in areas such as energy security, climate risk and regional resilience. The Near East Institute subsequently developed the discussions into a comprehensive assessment report containing concrete policy recommendations, including stronger multilateral dialogue mechanisms and more integrated approaches to migration, energy, environment and security.

Specific proposals included broader participation of civil society, academics and professional organisations in policy processes; the establishment of an integrated “humanitarian crisis” mechanism addressing climate, water, food security, energy, migration and refugees; and the development of a strategic national inventory to provide systematic evidence for future policy-making and negotiation processes.

Through this process, Near East University contributed to problem identification, scenario-based policy discussion, strategy development, monitoring and policy reporting, supporting policy processes related particularly to SDGs 7, 10, 13, 16 and 17.

Developing Strategies for a Resilient and Green Nicosia

Near East University provided scientific expertise to the Resilient and Green Nicosia Workshop, organised in collaboration with the Nicosia Turkish Municipality, Horizon Planning and the Chamber of Landscape Architects of the Union of Chambers of Turkish Cypriot Engineers and Architects. The initiative brought together academics, local-government representatives, professional experts and civil-society stakeholders to address the environmental and spatial challenges facing Nicosia.

The six-day process combined presentations, multidisciplinary working groups and field studies to identify urban and environmental problems and evaluate existing planning approaches. Participants examined spatial development, zoning regulations, green-space policies, transportation strategies, climate resilience and urban forestry. Municipal authorities provided the local policy and planning context, while Near East University academics contributed scientific expertise to the development of planning, management and implementation strategies.

The workshop moved from problem identification and field-based assessment to the development and evaluation of planning proposals, with final projects evaluated jointly by representatives of Near East University, the Nicosia Turkish Municipality and the Chamber of Landscape Architects. The outcomes were explicitly intended to inform future urban planning and environmental policies.

Through this collaboration, Near East University contributed evidence and multidisciplinary expertise to policy and strategy development for green infrastructure, climate resilience and sustainable urban development, supporting SDGs 11, 13, 15 and 17.

Supporting Evidence-Based Industrial Policy through University–Government Collaboration

In 2025, Near East University provided scientific and technical expertise for the development of the Industry Information System, implemented at the Department of Industry under the TRNC Ministry of Economy and Energy. The initiative represents direct university–government collaboration aimed at strengthening the evidence base for industrial governance.

The system integrates industrial registry procedures with production and capacity monitoring, reporting and analytics. By consolidating industrial information within a structured digital platform, it enables government authorities to monitor industrial activity, identify relevant trends and challenges, and use data more systematically in decision-making. The platform was explicitly developed to support data-driven decision-making and evidence-based policymaking.

Near East University therefore contributed directly to the monitoring and reporting mechanisms that inform government policy development, providing technological and scientific capacity to strengthen transparent, responsive and evidence-based industrial governance. This contribution supports sustainable and resilient industrial development and is particularly relevant to SDGs 9, 16 and 17.