Machine-Type Communication (MTC) is a critical component of the information and communication infrastructure required for national technological priorities, such as sustainable urbanization, monitoring and protection of ecosystems, autonomous and connected mobility, environmental awareness in disaster situations, and aviation and satellite/space technologies. To evolve MTC to meet the expectations of scalable and 6th generation (6G) communication systems, Goal-Oriented Communication principles are expected to be crucial.

Goal-oriented optimization will allow for the correct timing of data flows at the application layer and enable service prioritization for multiple flows at the link and transport layers. This will enable limited energy, bandwidth, and communication opportunities to be shared by more users in a way that meets mission-critical requirements. To achieve innovative scientific results that overcome bottlenecks in this manner, the following open problems will be addressed in this research program:

Objective 1: Development of Goal-Oriented Data Generation and Transmission (GOVI) theory, by creating optimal decision policies and practical algorithms that utilize these policies, demonstrating the impact of this approach.
Objective 2: Development and implementation of optimal policies for the concept of Goal-Oriented Random Access (GORA) for wireless access, and the creation of protocols using these policies to enable massive MTC.

      UP2030 aims to support cities in driving the socio-technical transitions required to meet their climate neutrality targets by leveraging urban planning and design. Within the project city stakeholders and local authorities will be supported and guided to put neutrality on the map of their communities in day-to-day actions and strategic decisions. An innovative methodology (5UP-approach) will be developed and applied through the co-development and implementation of science-based - yet practical - tools, and methods. Inclusive participation is key throughout the project’s full cycle of activities so that real needs of communities are reflected in the city-specific visions, and co-designed interventions maximise delivery of co-benefits. As such, UP2030 will have a measured positive impact on spatial justice in the pilots, and give the opportunity to citizens to participate in the transition by becoming agents of change themselves through their sustainable behavioural shifts. UP2030 looks at mainstreaming the climate neutrality agenda using urban planning and design as a vehicle for also enhancing the liveability of urban communities. The emphasis on liveability will connect the urban planning and design approaches to the provision of multiple socio-environmental benefits, foremost at a neighbourhood scale. Prototyping is strategically focused on neighbourhoods, as they offer a critical scale for problem-solving, reinvestment, and climate innovation in cities. Testing at this scale will provide valuable lessons for city-wide upscale. To drive city-wide impact, cities will need to go well beyond technical designs and piloting; UP2030 will empower local authorities to shape their innovation-enabling city environment through: a relevant policy framework, deliberate inclusive participation, shifts to sustainable behaviours, capacity building in city departments, new governance arrangements and financial facilitation. To this end, UP2030 will guide cities (stakeholders and local authorities) to deliver across the values of equity, resilience, neutrality, and sustainability.

Initiated on: 01 January 2023

https://up2030-he.eu/

      The LEGOFIT project aims to design, implement and validate an advanced and dynamic integrative approach to accomplish EPH based on smart and innovative solutions with a high scalability and replicability for building construction and renovation, through: i) developing an innovative holistic design platform that encompass not only passive and active technologies but also their integration for smartest exchange of information and interoperability of systems based on Building Information Modelling (BIM), available for both professionals and end-users, ii) integrating active and passive strategies (e.g. envelope, HVAC systems, integrated solutions, including nature based solutions, etc.) with smart management technologies (BAS, BMS) for climate neutral and high energy building performance providing maximum flexibility to users iii) investigating innovative routes for promoting minimum environmental impacts by the smart use of solid and liquid residues generated during building life cycle stages and iv) fostering sustainable stock of buildings by guaranteeing not only the fulfilment of sustainable criteria (economic, social, environmental) but also according to the enhancement of smart readiness of buildings. This innovative and integrated approach is demonstrated in 3+ demos across a range of geographical, cultural and construction stages/technological market maturity scenarios. The building typology focus is the residential sector, multifamily houses and dormitories, including both new and existing constructions. The involvement of professionals in the sector is ensured through the development of a community of stakeholders and an open innovation community for Building Energy System (BES) professionals. Training courses focused on the new positive energy house approaches will ensure a new generation of multidisciplinary team of experts.

Initiated on: 01 May 2023

https://www.legofit.eu/

      TRANSMIT tackles the challenge of integrating clean energy into buildings with aesthetically pleasing, high-performance, semi-transparent photovoltaics (STPV). This innovative approach utilizes micro-striped solar cells fabricated from two promising materials: mature and stable CIGS and next-generation Perovskite. We aim at achieving viable stage TRL5 technology within 3 years by tackling specific objectives: Develop a micro-structuring process to create semi-transparent solar cells with a range of average visual transparency (30-70%). Fabricate and validate CIGS and Perovskite-based STPV mini-modules (5x5 cm² and 10x10 cm², respectively), achieving 8% efficiency and 50% transparency. The project goes beyond efficiency and aesthetics. We will assess the environmental impact (life-cycle analysis, CO2 emissions) and economic viability (life-cycle costing). Additionally, the project will analyze the impact on building energy use and thermal comfort.

Initiated on: 01 January 2024

https://transmit.squarespace.com/

      JeoIT's MOAF DIT (Multi-Ontology AI-based Facility Digital Twin) project, submitted to the Eureka Platform in March 2023 in collaboration with Karel Elektronik from Turkey, Eindhoven University of Technology from the Netherlands, and Stactics, has been approved for funding. This SME-focused project, which is highly prioritized by European countries due to the European Union's support for funding, aims to advance the digital twin we initiated under the 1004 SUIT program towards a next-generation product. Commencing in January 2025, a key distinguishing feature of this project is the integration of ontologies, which form the basis of the Semantic Web approach and enable artificial intelligence to establish relationships between complex concepts, with multi-agent reinforcement learning and digital twins. Three ontologies related to human resources, physical spaces, and production processes, to be developed in conjunction with TU Eindhoven, will provide data for artificial intelligence training and digital twin facility management modules.

Initiated on: 01 January2025

      LeAD is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at addressing the critical challenges in waste management and renewable energy supply. It is of vital importance for achieving the targets set by the European Green Deal and the Renewable Energy Directive. The project aims to revolutionize waste management and renewable energy supply by optimizing the anaerobic digestion process through the concept of the microbial niche network. The approach to be followed will increase the resource recovery efficiency from organic waste by making the microbial communities involved in the process resistant to stress conditions. The consortium, consisting of eight research center/university partners and five associated industry partners, promotes international cooperation and knowledge exchange.

The Bio-Process Engineering Research Group (BioERG) of METU Environmental Engineering, led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yasemin Dilsad Yılmazel Tokel, contributes to the LeAD project with two projects and one work package management.

Initiated On: 01 January 2025

      The project aims to increase biofuel production efficiency in bioelectrochemical systems (BES), which enable renewable energy production from biomass and the generation of sustainable biofuels such as hydrogen and methane. The subject of the proposed project is the production of electrodes for use in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) via the electrostatic flocculation method, and their testing in MECs as a first in the literature. This technology has the potential to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and enable the sustainable disposal of waste. Electrodes typically used in MECs consist of carbon-based planar materials such as graphite, carbon felt, or carbon brushes with a larger surface area. The formation of an electro-active microbial biofilm on the anode and/or cathode electrode surface, depending on the application carried out in MECs, plays a key role in the success of these processes. In studies conducted to date, graphite blocks, carbon felt electrodes with a planar surface, or carbon brushes with a high surface area have been used. However, due to their geometry, electrodes such as graphite blocks and carbon felt provide insufficient surface area for the effective adhesion of the electro-active biofilm. On the other hand, although carbon brushes have a large surface area and can support a higher density of biofilm, they occupy more volume within the MEC and increase the reactor volume. Therefore, research into new electrode materials suitable for use in BESs is ongoing. In the proposed project, various electrodes with a high surface area-to-volume ratio will be developed using the electrostatic flocculation method, and the electrode surfaces will be functionalized with aminosilane molecules to create a more favorable environment for the formation of an electro-active biofilm on the electrode surface. These prepared electrodes will be compared with commercially purchased, untreated counterparts in studies of hydrogen and methane production in MECs. The biofilm that forms on the electrode surface will be visualized using microscopy methods, and the differences brought about by the electron structure, along with microbial community identification, will be revealed.

Initiated On: 01 January 2023