Closing Meeting Held for the LEAF Project
The closing meeting of the project titled “Lifelong Learning for Sustainability: From Campus to Daily Life (LEAF),” implemented under the coordination of Eskişehir Technical University (ESTÜ) within the scope of Erasmus+ Key Action 2 Cooperation Partnerships in Higher Education (KA220-HED), was held on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, at the Eskişehir Tasigo Hotel.
The meeting was attended by ESTÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Adnan Özcan, Faculty of Engineering Department of Environmental Engineering faculty member and Project Coordinator Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alp Özdemir, project team members from ESTÜ Prof. Dr. Müfide Banar, Prof. Dr. Aysun Özkan, Prof. Dr. Saye Nihan Çabuk, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zerrin Günkaya, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esra Pınar Uça Güneş, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Burcu Yılmazel. Additionally, international project partners Prof. Dr. Adilia Charmier, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Joao Canto, Noemi Rando, and Raul Esteban, as well as academic staff from ESTÜ and other universities and local stakeholders, were present.
Within the scope of the program, Rector Prof. Dr. Adnan Özcan delivered a speech. In his address, Rector Prof. Dr. Adnan Özcan stated:
"It is pleasing to see that the project, which began with the opening meeting we held at our university two years ago, has transformed into concrete outputs and a strong culture of cooperation today. This strategic partnership, which we carried out under the coordination of Eskişehir Technical University with Lusofona University from Portugal and the AIJU Institute from Spain, has been a high-quality example of international academic solidarity."
Underlining that Eskişehir Technical University has adopted a higher education vision that combines an application-oriented education approach with social benefit, Rector Prof. Dr. Özcan continued:
"At the point we have reached today, we have implemented three fundamental outputs that can also be used for different segments of society. The first is the 'Change for Sustainability' e-Certificate Program, which aims to make daily life choices more sustainable and support behavioral transformation by developing participants' knowledge and skills. The second is the gamification-based 'LEAF Life' Mobile Application, which strengthens personal responsibility awareness. The third consists of disseminateable content and application tools that move social awareness from the knowledge level to action. We designed these outputs to create a scalable impact together with local governments, industrial organizations, and civil society, rather than keeping them within campus boundaries. I believe the results we have achieved will contribute to sustainable transformation both in our country and on a European scale."
Following the opening speech, the activities carried out within the scope of the project and the outputs obtained were shared through presentations by the project partners. In this context, Project Coordinator Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alp Özdemir provided a general evaluation of the LEAF Project, while Lusofona University Project Team Leader Prof. Dr. Adilia Charmier and AIJU (The Asociación de Investigación de la Industria del Juguete) Project Team Leader Noemi Rando conveyed their evaluations regarding the project process and the work carried out on behalf of their institutions.
The presentations covered the sustainability-based learning content developed during the project, applications aimed at raising awareness, and dissemination activities, evaluating the project's effects extending from higher education to daily life. The program continued with a coffee break and a networking session that strengthened interaction among participants.
In the final part of the meeting, gold, silver, and bronze certificates were presented with a symbolic ceremony to participants who successfully completed the e-Certificate program developed within the scope of the LEAF Project. Following the certificate ceremony and experience sharing, the closing meeting concluded.
The LEAF Project, carried out under the coordination of Eskişehir Technical University and in partnership with Lusofona University and AIJU, was successfully completed with outputs aiming for individuals to gain awareness on sustainability issues and to achieve true sustainability by reflecting this awareness in daily life.
https://eskisehir.edu.tr/tr/Haber/Detay/leaf-projesi-kapanis-toplantisi-gerceklestirildi
