Erciyes University

Erciyes University originated from the Gevher Nesibe Medical School, established in 1969 as an affiliate of Hacettepe University, and the Kayseri Business School, founded in 1977. These institutions were merged to form the University of Kayseri in 1978. In 1982, the university incorporated the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Theology, becoming Erciyes University shortly thereafter. The university is named after Mount Erciyes, located approximately 15 kilometres southwest of the campus.

The establishment of Erciyes University was initiated by local leaders, including politicians Turhan Feyzioğlu, Health Minister Vedat Ali Özkan, and Mayor Mehmet Çalık. Their efforts, supported by İhsan Doğramacı, then-Rector of Hacettepe University, led to the creation of the Gevher Nesibe Medical School in Kayseri in 1969, operating as an affiliate of Hacettepe University. In 1975, the faculty relocated to the external clinic of Kayseri Public Hospital.

In 1993, the "Great Kayseri Meeting" was held on Mount Erciyes to promote collaboration between Erciyes University and the local business community. A follow-up event, the "Second Great Kayseri Meeting," took place in 1995, furthering local engagement with the university’s development. During this period, several construction projects were supported by local philanthropists, and President Süleyman Demirel attended related ceremonies, providing official recognition of the initiatives.

In 2017, Erciyes University was designated by the Council of Higher Education as one of the first ten institutions in Turkey to receive the status of a research university. It was the only university outside Istanbul, Ankara, and İzmir included in this group.

The International Advisory Board of Erciyes University consists of academics from various international institutions. Among the members are Professor Tanju Karanfil from Clemson University, Professor Yaşar Onel from the University of Iowa, and Professor İbrahim Tarık Özbolat from Penn State University. Other members include Professor Michael Wurm from University of Mainz, Professor Robert Svoboda from the University of California-Davis, and Professor John A. Rogers from Northwestern University. Additionally, Professor Xian Huang from Tianjin University, Professor Olcay Y. Jones from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Assoc. Professor Deniz Peker from Emory University, Professor Tamer Kahveci from The University of Florida, and Professor Weihong Tan from Hunan University are also part of the advisory board.

Location

Erciyes University is located in Kayseri, a city with a population of approximately 1.39 million. The main campus lies about 6 kilometers from the city center and roughly 25 kilometers from Erciyes Ski Resort. The university is also situated around 80 kilometers from Cappadocia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Erciyes University, designated as one of the ten research universities in Turkey, supports research activities through both internal and external funding mechanisms. External sources include programs such as those of the European Research Council and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, while internal funding is provided by the Scientific Research Projects (BAP) office. In 2023, BAP funded 530 projects with a total budget of approximately 127 million Turkish lira.

The Erciyes Neutrino Research Group (ENRG) participates in international neutrino experiments, including the ANNIE and NOvA experiments at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in the United States. The group contributes to physics analysis and neutron simulation studies for these experiments. ENRG also operates a detector research and development program for neutrino experiments, focusing on the development of particle detectors and calorimeters. One member holds an affiliated scientist position at the University of Iowa and is involved with the CMS experiment at CERN, part of the Large Hadron Collider.