Archive

National Coordinators

Team Leader

Progress Reports

Progress Report 1(*)

	Organised a Meeting between Turkish participants. The basic objectives of the Congress were exposed.
	Gazi University, our university, held a meeting about the European Projects for two days. Main idea of the meeting was how Gazi University could get European Projects. The President of Gazi University was also in this meeting. I also attended this meeting and gave information about what we have been doing as Multi Diciplinary Neuro Science Research Group. There were about 50 academicians from different disciplines. My suggestions were found very valuable. Especially, colleagues from our Medical Faculty who are studying neuroscience were interested in so much.
	Finds more partners

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Progress Report 2 (*)

[Comments of Principal Coordinator in blue]

I really would like to thank you for your organisation.

You are spending too much effort to bring the people around the table. As you know, to be a scientific person requires being

It is really very difficult to keep the academicians updated and active without showing them the projects. Because, every time they are asking me when we are going to prepare a project and submit it to UN for support. I always explained them that, at the moment all the academicians are coming together and trying to create a centre, and then many different project will be produced and applied for the grand. Apart from the academicians, there are a few companies would like to prepare common project with us, because people are in a hurry. They would like to get the results very quickly.

[You are absolutely right: this is perfectly true. The essential difference with the NewPOL Network is that it is trying to change mentalities FIRST in order to THEN produce projects that are more creative, original and useful to all. This is THE important idea behind the NewPOL Network! This is why the whole process is terribly difficult! But absolutely vital for the Future.

There is a terrible pressure from everywhere to produce and publish...publish...publish "projects"! This is not only ridiculous but disserves the general community (and not only scientists): there is an enormous amount of publications that is just not useful. The researcher should be given a chance to sit back...relax...and think: "How can I integrate my research project into a more global perspective?". A scientist is also an artist in his/her own way. He/she is NOT to be turned into a robot, a factory producing projects in a chain (for the sake of producing projects because he/she HAS to produce projects) of limited scope and value.

Academics are far too conditioned regarding this infernal process: publish! <---> money! <---> research! A lot of money is spent doing useless research, you know...

Many have some difficulty understanding that the NewPOL Consortium Network is NOT a project. It is a CREATOR OF PROJECTS. What the project is depends on you and me, the people all over the world.]

Any way, I do not want to complain about them and being an NC. Our web site is under construction and will be ready soon.

[Fine!]

There are many activities I have done in last 18 months. These may not be directly related for our activities, but they are related indirectly. I have been a coordinator for a project of my University (Gazi). In this project we have already sent 210 academicians to England for three weeks or three months time for research and for language courses. I have contacted with a few Universities in UK and visited them six times. At the moment this project is finished, but we have very good contacts with them and very good projects for the future. Why not we shouldn't carry on our future collaboration under Multi Disciplinary Neuro Science Research Centre.

[I have always been in favour of both a virtual IMNRC and a real IMNRC (i.e. the physical construction that shall be discussed in PART III of the IMIRC).

A virtual IMIRC can also prepare projects to answer Calls for Proposals (EU or Non-EU)]

Note regarding your NC activities. Please make every effort to create a Team. I am not asking you to work full time for NewPOL and I never expected you to: you also have your own professional and family obligations. But you MUST have reliable assistants/friends to assist you in your task. Next week for example, someone must be around the "table" for direct feedback during our discussions.

(*) The two Progress Reports were presented by Professor Ilhami Colak. The NewPOL Network wishes to thank Professor Ilhami Colak

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