Hosted by Mersin University and organized by International Relations and Projects Coordination between April 13–15, 2026, the “Erasmus+ Staff Week & eTwinning Meeting” event was successfully held. The three-day program was attended by academics, teacher trainers, and institutional representatives from Germany, France, Spain, Croatia, Kenya, Romania, Poland, and Portugal.

The program began with opening speech by Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Hakan Öztürk, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ümit İzgi Onbaşılı, and Lecturer Dr. Banu Es Yılmaz. On the second day of the event, Rector’s Advisor Prof. Dr. Tuğba Yanpar and Dean of the Faculty of Education Prof. Dr. Mutlu Nisa Ünaldı Coral also joined the program.

Within the scope of the event, presentations were given on Erasmus+ partnerships, teacher training, eTwinning, digital pedagogies, and international academic collaboration. In addition to Mersin University, the program featured representatives from European Schoolnet Brussels, the University of Stuttgart, the University of Castilla-La Mancha, the University of Zagreb, the University of Picardie Jules Verne, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Opole University of Technology, Kenyatta University, the University of Coimbra, and the National University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest. Additionally, the eTwinning National Support Service under the General Directorate of Innovation and Educational Technologies of the Ministry of National Education contributed to the program.

One of the highlights of the event was the online participation via a live connection from Brussels. Dr. Nikolaos Mouratoglou from the European Commission’s European Schoolnet joined the program via a live connection and delivered a presentation. The program also featured speakers who had been honored by the European Commission in the field of In-Service Teacher Education (ITE). Prof. Richard Powers, recipient of the 2023 ITE First Prize; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ivana Milković, recipient of the 2024 ITE Award; and Prof. Dr. Raquel Sánchez-Ruiz, recipient of the 2025 ITE Award, contributed to the program with their presentations.

Throughout the program, discussions were held regarding new Erasmus+ partnerships and ideas for joint projects. On the final day of the event, meetings were held between faculty Erasmus coordinators and visiting academics to explore bilateral agreements and collaboration opportunities. Participants also had the opportunity to get to know Mersin’s cultural fabric up close through visits organized within the city and to neighboring districts.