Near East University collaborates with public health authorities, healthcare institutions, professional organisations, and research partners to improve health and well-being. These partnerships support access to healthcare services, community health programmes, scientific research, and the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.

In 2025, the university continued established healthcare and research collaborations while undertaking joint activities with external organisations addressing cancer prevention, healthy ageing, infectious diseases, and other public health priorities.

Collaboration with the Ministry of Health to Enhance National Healthcare Services

Near East University maintains an institutional cooperation protocol with the Ministry of Health of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to strengthen healthcare services and improve access to specialised medical treatment.

Under this collaboration, Near East University Hospital and Near East University Dental Hospital provide clinical support and advanced diagnostic and treatment services for patients referred from public healthcare institutions. The referral mechanism enables patients requiring specialised procedures or advanced medical technologies to receive care through the university's healthcare infrastructure.

This continuing partnership supports coordination between public hospitals and university healthcare services, contributes to the capacity of the national healthcare system, and facilitates access to specialised treatment.

Collaborations with Local Health and Well-being Organisations

Partnership with the Association for Elderly Rights and Mental Health

On 24 March 2025, Near East University signed a cooperation protocol with the Association for Elderly Rights and Mental Health to support healthy ageing, mental well-being, and the quality of life of older adults.

The agreement established a framework for joint educational, healthcare, psychosocial, and scientific activities addressing the needs of the ageing population.

The partnership progressed into practical community engagement in December 2025, when Near East University's Faculty of Health Sciences and the Association jointly organised the "Exercise in the Journey of Healthy Ageing" programme at Merkez Lefkoşa, hosted by Nicosia Turkish Municipality.

The programme combined scientific presentations with practical group exercises addressing physical activity, musculoskeletal health, balance, mobility, and functional independence in later life. Participants received guidance on maintaining physical and mental well-being through appropriate exercise and healthy lifestyle practices.

The activities carried out during 2025 demonstrate the progression of the institutional agreement into joint community health education, supporting healthier and more active ageing.

Collaboration with the Cancer Patients Assistance Association: Community-Based Cancer Screening

Near East University Hospital collaborated with the Cancer Patients Assistance Association (KHYD) to conduct an island-wide prostate cancer awareness and screening programme during March 2025.

The joint initiative provided free Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) testing through Near East University Hospital and the affiliated hospital network, supported by mobile healthcare teams reaching communities across Northern Cyprus.

A total of 898 individuals received free PSA tests, with approximately 100 participants identified as requiring further medical evaluation and referred for additional examinations.

Screening activities took place at hospital facilities and community locations, including public institutions and markets in Nicosia, Kyrenia, Famagusta, and İskele. Mobile healthcare services helped extend access to individuals outside conventional hospital settings.

Through cooperation between the university's clinical teams and the Association, the programme combined cancer awareness, community engagement, preventive screening, and referral for further medical assessment.

This collaboration demonstrates a practical partnership between a university healthcare provider and a patient-support organisation to expand access to preventive health services.

Local and Global Collaborations of the DESAM Research Institute

The Experimental Health Sciences Research Institute (DESAM) works with external research institutions on projects relating to molecular diagnostics, infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and biomedical research. Several collaborations initiated before 2025 produced specific research outputs during the reporting year. Earlier partnerships without a confirmed 2025 activity record are described separately below as historical institutional links.

Istanbul University: Rare Inherited Metabolic Diseases and Molecular Diagnostics

DESAM and Istanbul University’s Institute of Child Health established a cooperation protocol on 9 May 2023 covering joint research, publications, scientific exchange, and related academic activities. In 2025, a collaboration involving DESAM and Istanbul University researchers produced an Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT)-based diagnostic kit designed to support second-line molecular differential diagnosis in expanded newborn screening for inherited metabolic diseases.

The research project, supported by Istanbul University’s Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit, aims to complement biochemical screening by enabling molecular investigation of inherited metabolic conditions in children. The 2025 diagnostic-kit development is a tangible output from the inter-institutional partnership; routine clinical deployment and measured patient outcomes are not claimed here.

Gazi University and Bilkent University: Candida auris and Healthcare-Associated Infections

Researchers from Near East University, Gazi University, and Bilkent University completed a joint investigation of Candida auris reported in October 2025. The study analysed 47 isolates obtained from different centres in Türkiye and assessed biofilm formation, antifungal resistance, and disinfectant susceptibility.

The researchers reported strong biofilm-forming capacity in approximately 95% of the isolates and fluconazole resistance in approximately 31%. The findings inform the scientific understanding of infection control challenges and future antifungal research. DESAM’s earlier inventory separately records a Gazi University collaboration on computational analysis of biocide and antifungal susceptibility; this inventory entry is retained without assuming that it is identical to the 2025 multi-institutional study.

La Trobe University: Bacteriophage Research Against Antimicrobial Resistance

Since 2023, DESAM researchers have collaborated with La Trobe University in Australia on isolating and characterising bacteriophages targeting antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The partnership includes research conducted by Dr. Ferdiye Taner and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Steve Petrovski.

In January 2025, the team reported the isolation of a third bacteriophage, providing a basis for investigating a possible combination of three phages against different bacterial strains. In October 2025, researchers also reported genomic characterisation of phage NEU2023 and the identification of a previously unrecognised genus named Alasiavirus. The collaboration provides evidence of continuing international scientific activity during 2025.

The work remains a research-stage contribution to potential alternative strategies against antimicrobial resistance; it is not presented as an approved or routinely available clinical treatment.

Earlier DESAM Institutional Collaborations and Research Projects

DESAM’s previously documented cooperation portfolio also includes joint scientific work with MAGI Group (Italy), a distribution-related agreement with Hibrigen Biotech (Türkiye), and diagnostic research with Manisa Celal Bayar University (Türkiye). These items form part of the institute’s institutional record, but no continuing 2025 joint activity is asserted without further confirmation.

MAGI Group (Italy). DESAM Research Institute collaborated with MAGI Group in Italy on scientific research and educational activities, including research on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). As part of this collaboration, a DESAM researcher participated in joint project activities at MAGI Group laboratories in Italy between July and September 2024. The collaborative research project on PCOS was completed in 2025, contributing to scientific cooperation in women's health and reproductive medicine.

Hibrigen Biotech (Türkiye). On 25 November 2021, Near East University established a cooperation agreement with Hibrigen Biotech to support the international distribution and commercialisation of its university-developed SARS-CoV-2 Variant Real-Time PCR Diagnostic Kit. The agreement covered markets outside Northern Cyprus and provided a framework for extending the availability of the university's molecular diagnostic technology through collaboration with an external biotechnology company.

Manisa Celal Bayar University (Türkiye). DESAM Research Institute collaborated with Manisa Celal Bayar University on the development of a Hepatitis D Virus (HDV) Real-Time PCR Diagnostic Kit. Completed in October 2024, the joint research project focused on developing a molecular diagnostic tool for the detection of HDV, an infection associated with hepatitis B that can lead to severe liver disease. The project contributed to diagnostic technology development and inter-university scientific cooperation in infectious disease research.

Research Collaboration Inventory

The following inventory preserves the partner and researcher information published previously. The period/status column distinguishes research with documented 2025 outcomes from earlier activities whose 2025 continuation has not yet been independently verified.

Global Collaboration of Operational Research Center in Healthcare (ORCH)

University of Sharjah: Research on Pregnancy-Induced Hypertension

Near East University's Operational Research Center in Healthcare (ORCH) collaborated with researchers from the University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, on a study evaluating treatment options for pregnancy-induced hypertension.

Presented at the Dubai International Pharmaceuticals and Technologies Conference and Exhibition (DUPHAT) on 8 January 2025, the research applied a fuzzy PROMETHEE multi-criteria decision-making approach to compare five pharmacological treatments from patient and healthcare-provider perspectives.

The study identified differences in treatment rankings according to the evaluation criteria, with hydralazine ranked highest from the patient perspective and nicardipine from the hospital perspective.

The collaborative research contributes a decision-support approach for evaluating treatment alternatives in maternal healthcare and demonstrates the application of operational research methods to clinical decision-making.