Directives

This is an annex to the decision of our University's Senate dated 03.01.2023 and numbered 2023/01.
Revision-Amendment: This is an annex to the Senate Decision dated 29.01.2026 and numbered 2026/03.

 

Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University
Directive on Incentives for Participation in Scientific Meetings

Chapter One

Introductory Provisions

Purpose
Article 1- (1) The purpose of this Directive is to determine the incentive principles and procedures for benefiting from in-person or online participation in domestic and international scientific meetings.

Scope
Article 2- (1) This Directive covers faculty members and researchers holding a permanent position at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University and the scientific works they present, whether in person or online, at domestic or international scientific meetings.

Legal Basis
Article 3- (1) This Directive has been prepared on the basis of Article 14 of Higher Education Law No. 2547.

Definitions
Article 4- (1) As used in this Directive;

a) Academic Unit: A faculty, institute, languages coordination office, or application and research center affiliated with Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University,

b) Academic Year: The period taken as the basis for the University's academic year for the relevant education-teaching year, beginning on September 1 and ending on August 31 each year,

c) Researcher: A researcher holding a permanent position at an application and research center of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University,

ç) Paper text: A work that adequately explains the paper's purpose, method, main findings, and conclusion, that includes a bibliography, and that provides the reader with sufficient information about the content of the work,

d) Scientific Meeting: National or international scientific meetings such as congresses, symposiums, conferences, and workshops,

e) Commission: The Scientific Activities Incentive Commission (BETEK),

f) Artistic Work: An art production or performance presentation whose content/purpose/method/result framework can be documented, presented at scientific meetings within the scope of this Directive and accepted by the meeting,

g) Faculty Member: A Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Lecturer, or Research Assistant holding a permanent position at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University,

ğ) Rector: The Rector of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University,

h) Senate: refers to the Senate of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University,

ı) University: Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University,

i) Board of Directors: The University Board of Directors,

j) Domestic/International Meeting: Meetings determined, for in-person meetings, according to the country in which the meeting is actually held, and for online/hybrid meetings, according to the home country of the main organizing institution,

shall have the meanings set out above.

Part Two

General Principles

Composition and Duties of the Commission

Article 5- (1) The Commission consists of a Vice Rector to be appointed by the Rector and four faculty members from different scientific fields, serving for a term of three years. The Commission is chaired by the Vice Rector.

(2) If one of the Commission members leaves office for any reason, a new member is appointed by the Rector to complete the remaining term of the departing member.

(3) The Commission convenes at least once a month upon the call of the chair.

(4) Where deemed necessary, the Commission may obtain expert opinions regarding works submitted to it.

(5) The Commission convenes with an absolute majority of the total number of members and makes its decisions by an absolute majority of those present; in the event of a tie, the vote of the chair determines the outcome.

(6) Commission members may not participate in discussions or vote at meetings where applications of themselves, their first-degree relatives, or persons with whom they have a co-authorship/co-investigator relationship are being discussed.

(7) The rapporteur of the Commission is the Strategy Development and Quality Coordinator. The Commission's secretariat services are carried out by the Strategy Development and Quality Coordination Office.

Article 6- (1) The duties of the Scientific Activities Incentive Commission are as follows:

a) Reviewing incentive/support applications made by academic staff to participate in scientific activities such as conferences, congresses, symposiums, and workshops for compliance with the provisions of this Directive, requesting additional information and documents when necessary, and evaluating the application and submitting its decision for the Rector's approval,

b) Developing proposals for the categories of events to be supported, new support models, or budget planning, in line with the University's internationalization, research strategy, and scientific performance goals,

c) Monitoring the outputs of supported scientific activities,

ç) Preparing an annual activity report containing the number of participations and budget utilization for supported events and submitting it to the Rector's Office at the end of each academic year.

Incentives for Participation in Scientific Meetings

Article 7- (1) Faculty members and researchers may apply for an incentive for a maximum of two domestic and one international online or in-person scientific meeting within each academic year.

(2) Whichever academic year the meeting's start date falls within, the application limit is evaluated for that academic year.

(3) Incentives are granted, within the framework of the principles set out in this Directive, up to the upper limits specified in Annex-1.

Article 8- (1) Support is given only to the participant who presents the paper text or artistic work by attending the scientific activity.

(2) To be entitled to support, the application and permission processes must be completed before the meeting date. Following up on these processes is the responsibility of the faculty member and researcher.

(3) It must be stated, either in the meeting announcement or in a letter from the organizing institution, that the paper for which the incentive is requested will be published in journals indexed in WOS, Scopus, a field index, or the TR Index, or it must be declared in the application file that the paper will be submitted for publication, within six months of the scientific meeting's end date, to a journal indexed in these indices. If it has been declared that the paper will be submitted to an indexed journal, records such as the submission/acceptance e-mail, system screenshot, editor's letter, or similar documents showing that the paper was submitted to the indexed journal within six months of the scientific meeting's end date must be delivered to the Commission to be added to the application file.

(4) Incentives to be granted in the following period are evaluated taking into account the publication status of the previous domestic or international paper. If the paper for which an incentive was granted has not been published or is not in the publication process, no support is given in the relevant domestic or international category in the following academic year.

(5) Support for participation in international events held domestically is evaluated within the scope of a national event.

Application Method and Process

Article 9- (1) Faculty members and researchers who will attend the meeting shall submit the Application Form for Incentives to Participate in Scientific Meetings, the text of the paper, and the invitation/acceptance letter — with the approval of the relevant department chair to the dean's office in Faculties, with the approval of the Head of the Department in the Graduate Education Institute to the Institute Directorate, with the approval of the relevant unit coordinator in the Languages Coordinatorship to the Languages Coordinatorship, and with the approval of the Director in Application and Research Centers to the Commission. These transactions shall be carried out through the University Electronic Document Management System.

(2) Application files are reviewed by the rapporteur and submitted to the Commission. The Commission reviews the application and submits its decision for the Rector's approval.

(3) The Rectorate's decision regarding the application is notified to the applicant, the relevant unit, and the Commission. Decisions on applications deemed eligible for support are also notified to the Department of Financial Affairs.

(4) Application documents and Commission decisions are retained by the Commission; in addition to these documents, expenditure documents are retained by the Department of Financial Affairs.

(5) In order for applications to be submitted to the Commission, the application file must, in principle, be completed via the EDMS at least 15 days in advance for domestic meetings and at least 30 days in advance for meetings abroad; in mandatory cases, this period may be shortened upon a justified request, subject to the Commission's assessment.

Payment Conditions and Procedure

Article 10- (1) One additional day of travel leave is granted in addition to the meeting period for domestic meetings, and two additional days for meetings abroad. However, the total period allotted for the scientific event and travel leave combined may not exceed five days.

(2) For scientific meetings held abroad, registration/participation fees, visa expenses, transportation and transfer costs, and per diem allowances are covered under the incentive up to the upper limit specified in Annex-1. To benefit from this right, the staff member is required to have actually attended the relevant meeting.

(3) The relevant provisions of Per Diem and Travel Allowance Law No. 6245 apply to the calculation of per diem allowances abroad.

(4) For scientific meetings held domestically, registration/participation fees, accommodation expenses, and transportation costs (airfare, train, taxi, bus, public transportation, vehicle rental, fuel for personal vehicles, highway, bridge, and parking fees) are evaluated within the scope of the incentive and processed accordingly.

(5) Within two weeks at the latest after returning from the scientific meeting, the faculty member shall submit the originals or verifiable electronic copies of the expenditure documents specified in the second and third paragraphs of this Article, together with the certificate of participation and the Expenditure Declaration Form, to the Department of Financial Affairs.

(6) After reviewing the expenditure documents, the Department of Financial Affairs forwards this information to the Commission.

Support Amounts

Article 11- (1) The upper limits of the incentive amounts to be granted are specified in Annex-1. Incentive amounts determined in foreign currency are converted to Turkish lira at the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey's foreign exchange buying rate on the date of expenditure.

(2) For participation in scientific meetings held abroad, a 50% advance payment is made based on the upper limits set out in Annex-1, upon the request of the faculty member or researcher and with the Rectorate's approval. Advance payments to be made in foreign currency are converted to Turkish lira at the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey's foreign exchange buying rate on the date the payment instruction is issued, and are executed by the Department of Financial Affairs.

Updating of Incentive Upper Limits

Article 12- (1) The upper limits of the incentive amounts specified in Annex-1 are updated every January by the University Executive Board upon the Commission's recommendation. Where deemed necessary by the Commission, the University Executive Board may also update the Annex-1 upper limits separately during the year, upon the Commission's recommendation.

Part Three

Miscellaneous and Final Provisions

Repealed Directive

Article 13- (1) The Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University Directive on Incentives for Scientific Activities, adopted by Senate Decision No. 2023/01 dated 03.01.2023, is hereby repealed.

Cases Not Covered by These Principles

Article 14- (1) In cases not covered by this Directive, the Rector shall decide.

Entry into force

Article 15- (1) This Directive enters into force upon approval by the Senate and the Board of Trustees.

Execution

Article 16- (1) The provisions of this Directive are executed by the Rector.

ANNEX – 1