From left to right: H.H. Murat Özyeğin, Honorary Consul of Singapore in Istanbul, Şebnem Köşer Akçapar, Director KUASIA, Mary Selverajah, spouse of Ambassador of Singapore, H.E. A. Selverajah, Ambassador of Singapore, Ceyda Oguz and Burak Gurel, KUASIA Executive Board members

First and foremost, the mission of the Koç University Center for Asian Studies (KUASIA) is to produce and disseminate high quality comparative and interdisciplinary academic and policy-relevant research on Asia. Furthermore, KUASIA will be designed to promote research on Asia at the national, regional and international levels.

It will aim to:

• Produce high quality academic publications;
• Provide government and business circles with policy relevant analysis on the region;
• Work closely with national and international academic institutions both in the region and beyond.

The Koç University Center for Asian Studies (KUASIA) shall:

• Be under the premises of two colleges: College of Social Sciences and Humanities and College of Administrative Sciences and Economics;
• Focus on conducting and directing research on Asia, with a particular focus on China, India, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan.
• Organize public lectures, seminars, and conferences on various social, cultural, economic, security and political issues as well as the Turkish involvement in Central-, South- and Southeast-Asia.

The main objective will be to make KUASIA the leading research center for Asian studies in Turkey with public policy impact with the involvement of business circles, scholars, bureaucrats and policy makers.

To that effect KUASIA will aim:

• To increase awareness, promote informed opinion and create a body of expertise on Asian affairs and their current and potential impact on Turkey in political, economic, social and cultural and other fields through research and other activities;
• To promote research and teaching on Asia at Koç University;
• To raise and provide funding from national and international agencies for research on Asia;
• To produce high quality academic publications on Asia;
• To promote academic cooperation with Koç University-wide centers as well as with the leading national and international centers working on Asia;
• To disseminate working papers/policy papers on Asia-Turkey relations relevant foremost to Turkish interests in the region;
• To constructively contribute to the public debate that relates to political, diplomatic, economic, business, and social issues on Asia;
• To organize lectures, public seminars, conferences, and workshops to raise awareness on the region;
• To organize art exhibitions, book launches, and film screening on campus;
• To provide courses towards a certificate program (Certificate for Asian Studies)