Empowering Disaster-Affected Scholars through Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration and Capacity Building

Project Overview: Empowering Disaster-Affected Scholars through Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration and Capacity Building

Project Objectives

1. Conduct a Comprehensive Needs Analysis for ECRs: Identify challenges and professional development needs of ECRs in earthquake-affected cities, focusing on disadvantaged groups such as refugees, amputees, women, and displaced academics.
2. Establish a Sustainable Virtual Academic Community: Create an online support network to facilitate mentorship, resource sharing, and interdisciplinary collaboration between ECRs and senior academics.
3. Enhance Research Capacities through Targeted Training: Deliver 15 online and 3 in-person workshops covering academic writing, grant applications, interdisciplinary research methods, and impact evaluation.
4. Facilitate Researcher Exchange Visits: Enable international collaboration through researcher exchanges between Coventry University and Turkish partner institutions to foster joint research projects and grant applications.
5. Lay the Groundwork for a Joint PhD Programme: Develop a framework for long-term academic collaboration, enabling joint PhD supervision and strengthening institutional research partnerships between UK and Turkish universities.

Outputs

Academic Outputs

• Peer-reviewed publications on interdisciplinary research methodologies, disaster recovery in higher education, and capacity-building strategies.
• Conference presentations and workshops at international academic events to disseminate findings and best practices.
• A joint PhD programme framework between Coventry University and Mersin University to support long-term academic collaboration.
• Needs Analysis Report on the challenges and professional development needs of ECRs in disaster-affected regions.
• Researcher exchange case studies documenting experiences, outcomes, and recommendations for future academic mobility initiatives.

Non-academic implementation support tools

• Virtual academic community (Discord/AULA) for ongoing mentorship, networking, and resource sharing.
• Training materials and toolkits for academic writing, grant applications, interdisciplinary research, and impact evaluation.
• Policy recommendations for strengthening higher education resilience and academic recovery in disaster-affected regions.
• Guidelines for inclusive academic recovery focusing on displaced and disadvantaged researchers.
• Collaboration reports and strategic partnership models to inform best practices for international academic cooperation.

Impact

This project strengthens academic resilience by supporting early career researchers (ECRs) affected by the 2023 earthquake in Türkiye. It enhances interdisciplinary research skills through training, mentorship, and researcher exchanges while fostering long-term academic collaboration via a virtual academic community and a joint PhD programme.

The project contributes to knowledge production in disaster recovery and higher education resilience while promoting inclusive academic recovery for disadvantaged scholars. Beyond academia, it supports Türkiye’s post-disaster recovery by rebuilding research capacity, fostering social mobility, and informing policy solutions for sustainable academic and societal development.