Bilkent brings three panels and 17 projects to COP31

Bilkent University will hold three COP31 panels in Antalya on November 12–13. Its Green Zone program on November 15 will showcase 17 research projects.

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Bilkent University has announced its program for COP31, the United Nations climate conference hosted by Türkiye in Antalya. Three Blue Zone panels will address building emissions, sustainability regulation and the governance of the green transition. Its Green Zone contribution comprises 17 projects spanning energy, buildings, cities, environmental research and governance.

November 12: Circular approaches to zero-carbon buildings

Prof. Yasemin Afacan, Dean of Bilkent's Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, will moderate the November 12, 2026 panel on how the circular economy can support zero-carbon buildings across their full life cycle. Speakers are Nuri Cihan Kayaçetin, Umut Berker Sevilmiş, Matti Kuittinen and Helle Redder Momsen.

The discussion draws on the net-zero whole-life carbon approach of IEA EBC Annex 89. Alongside energy consumed during operation, it will consider emissions embodied in materials and construction. Participants will examine how reuse, adaptive transformation and urban mining can extend beyond individual buildings to neighborhoods and cities.

November 13: Sustainability and finance regulation

Prof. Başak Baysal, Dean of the Faculty of Law, will chair a November 13 panel examining lessons from Türkiye's regulation of corporate sustainability and sustainable finance. Nilay Dayanç, Seçil Sayın Kutluca, Abdurrahman Kayıklık, Cem Veziroğlu and Antonio Sgura will speak.

The agenda covers the transition from voluntary guidance to mandatory requirements for corporate transparency, environmental claims, sustainable finance and fiscal measures. It also considers how EU alignment relates to domestic regulatory capacity and autonomy, and what Türkiye's experience could offer regulators, investors and companies in other emerging economies.

November 13: Social-science perspectives on green governance

A second panel that day will examine governance of the green transition through the social sciences. Assoc. Prof. Seçkin Köstem, Chair of the Department of International Relations, will moderate, with Dirk Matten, Emel Özdora and Tolga Bölükbaşı as speakers.

Topics include green industrial policy, public-policy reform, corporate diplomacy, companies' environmental responsibilities and the contribution of multilateral development banks to financing the transition.

November 15: Seventeen projects at Booth 8

Bilkent will receive visitors at Booth 8 in the Green Zone on Sunday, November 15, 2026, from 12:00 to 18:00. Eight projects will have booth displays and another eight will appear on a shared digital screen. One further project will be presented during a panel session from 14:15 to 14:50.

The research covers zero-energy and positive-energy buildings, circular construction, microclimates in urban parks, rural electrification, sustainable soft robotics, climate literacy and green jobs. Bilkent says its interdisciplinary academic work aims to strengthen awareness of climate issues.

Source: Bilkent University COP31 program.