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Scientific research and delivering education at undergraduate and graduate levels are the main responsibilities of higher education institutions. Considering these points, we aimed to provide insights into an array of topics pertaining to scientific research and tertiary education in Turkey and the future of Turkish higher education. We focused on research-based education, lifelong learning, research and higher education institutions, research grants and funding in Turkey, performance management in higher education, international collaborations, future of hands-on approaches, and lastly the issue of brain drain in Turkey. In the endeavor to present these issues in detail, we employed sector analysis method. Throughout the chapter, we aimed to provide detailed and comparative evaluations making use of both national and international literature.

Academic freedom is of central importance in all kinds of activities of academics and students. Considering this, many reforms were made to secure and improve academic freedom in Turkey. The most important reforms and changes were made in 1933, 1946, 1960, 1973 and 1981, and they all coincided with significant social and political periods. But, the history of Turkey’s academic freedom is not bright. The past university policies pertaining to academic freedom had occasionally positive, but often restrictive, results in expanding academic freedom. Despite policies and reforms, illegal dismissals of faculty members, disciplinary inspections and penalties were experienced. Moreover, the restrictions also affected freedom of expression in the forms of censorship and self-censorship; freedom to learn, teach and conduct researches had limitations. On the other hand, the removal of headscarf ban and the abolishment of coefficient policy which disadvantaged some students in the university entrance examinations can be given as examples of improvement in academic freedom of students, both of which improved students’ access to higher education. When compared with other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries, the rankings and various indicators present Turkey at lower end in terms of academic freedom. This shows that further steps are to be taken to improve academic freedom in Turkey.

Academic freedom has been the topic of debate and discussion since the concept evolved in academia. It has been a controversial topic that has different dimensions and explores the significance of this concept with relation to knowledge development and enhancement of student’s progress. Academic freedom expects faculty members to submit their ideas and research results to rigorous peer review and to experts who excel in the subject matter. The current debate surrounding the topic lacks clarity and has taken a different shape in different countries. In some countries, it has assumed the role of individual freedom, in some the collegial and institutional freedom, and in others it respects the freedom of students. Apart from teaching–learning, it is the freedom to conduct research and explore new avenues of knowledge. In this book, the concept of academic freedom is examined in the lights of globalization and challenges it poses to the development of higher education. We have seen that in recent years the concept of academic freedom has been threatened and some academics expressing their right of academic freedom were fired from their academic position, and in some cases, were imprisoned. Such case studies where academic freedom was silenced have been highlighted in this book. Authors have tried to explore how the concept has been balanced with transparency and accountability and what role did racial and gender biases played in pairing with rights and responsibilities. Case studies from Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan and Hungary have been presented along with other interventions and programs meant to support and uphold academic freedom.

Research in higher education provides the foundation for the future of education and hence attracts the attention of policymakers who debate the merits and demerits of it in various contexts. Research in higher education is expected to anticipate emerging trends, problems faced by educationists, and to develop concepts that would be reliable to generate the curriculum needed for knowledge-based nations. Universities that are conscious of the future and want to contribute to coping with this rapidly changing world have been engaged in meaningful research agendas. Education now has to deal with issues like globalization, climate change, refugee crisis, new models for education systems, steering the entire system toward internationalization, and manage the institution with a scarcity of resources. These challenges call for extensive research and in-depth analysis of the problems so that a possible solution can be worked out by academics in identifying thematic areas of work and emerging fields of education. Research-based universities occupy a prime position in the 21st-century global knowledge economy. These institutions have multiple roles to play besides teaching–learning and academic achievement of their students. This book demonstrates how research is being viewed in different countries having completely diverse socio-cultural backgrounds. The authors have explored the university’s contribution toward the advancement of global science and scholarship in countries like Turkey, Kosovo, Latin America, and the United States. Authors have also explored new information and processes that are contributing to emerging trends that are significant in understanding the human condition through multiple academic and societal roles. These authors discuss issues related to culture, technology, and society, which are the foundation of intellectual and scientific trends.

Our perception and analysis gradually grow and mature from subjectivity to objectivity as we investigate different periods of society and widen the temporal and spatial framework. The egocentric viewpoint is responsible for some of humanity's greatest mistakes and social crises throughout history. Without perceiving the ‘other’ and considering individuals who are different from them, societies will not be able to create permanent solutions. Although the answers offered are appropriate for one's own civilisation, when looking at the problem from a global perspective, it is extremely likely that there will be a significant incompatibility with other nations and societies. In this context, while our study advises a method of approaching social arrangements regardless of location, particularly time period, it also provides analysis. So much so that today's analysis differs from yesterday's, and tomorrow's will differ even more from today's. Today, more than 80% of the population lives in cities, and this trend is expected to continue. We find that the perceptions of the demands of generations x, y, z and alpha, living today in the same time period, for public goods and/or services, and the value they place on them, are considerably different in the demographic segment, which continues to develop and grow.

Our study intends to explain, on a worldwide scale, how the value ascribed to events, objects and phenomena differentiate these perceptions through social observations and bilateral interviews with these people living simultaneously in an urban environment. Despite the fact that our research will define a geographical area as an urban area in terms of scope, it will also present examples of these urban areas from other countries throughout the world, putting the problem in a global context. Our sample comprises the major cities of the countries with the most people on each continent, whereas our study universe spans the entire globe. It is about observing the values given to these generations' perceptions of urban services in these capitals, ensuring that generations better understand each other based on these findings and reforming the production and presentation of urban goods and/or services based on these findings. Developed and emerging countries are the focus of our judgements and observations.