IZU Academics Awarded First Prize by the Turkic Academy

Academics from Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University (IZU) have been awarded first prize in the “2026 Scientific Research Project Competition” organized by the Turkic Academy, an institution operating under the Organization of Turkic States.

The AI-supported digital heritage preservation project developed by IZU academics was deemed worthy of first prize in the competition organized by the Kazakhstan-based Turkic Academy. Entitled “A Transnational AI-Supported Digital Heritage Preservation Framework for Rare Manuscripts: A Turkic Collaborative Model Using Business Analysis and Large Language Models,” the project proposes an innovative framework grounded in business analysis and large language models to preserve rare manuscripts and ensure their transmission to future generations.

The competition, which aims to strengthen scientific and educational cooperation across the Turkic world, recognized three projects with first-place awards, among which this study was included. The project was carried out through interdisciplinary and inter-university collaboration. The research team comprised Prof. Seniye Ümit Fırat, former faculty member of the Department of Industrial Engineering at IZU; Dr. Doğan Şengül, Assistant Professor in the Department of Software Engineering at IZU; Beyzagül Yıldırım, graduate of the Department of Industrial Engineering at IZU; and Dr. Nazrin Alizada, Assistant Professor at Hatay Mustafa Kemal University.

We extend our sincere congratulations to our esteemed academics and graduate and wish them continued success in their scholarly endeavors.