Hosted by Niğde Ömer Halisdemir University and organized in collaboration with the Konya Plain Project (KOP) Regional Development Administration and the Association of KOP Region Universities (UNİKOP), the "New Approaches in Social Contribution and Regional Cooperation Workshop" was held with wide participation. Aiming to support regional development and strengthen inter-university cooperation, this visionary event featured our Dean of the Faculty of Computer and Information Sciences, Prof. Dr. Alper Aytekin, as a speaker, who shared significant insights.

The workshop was attended by our Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Uslu, KOP Regional Development Administration President Dr. Murat Karakoyunlu, executives from Development Agencies and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, as well as the provincial protocol. The main focus of the event was to increase the visibility of social contribution activities in higher education by bringing academic knowledge together with regional potential.

Emphasis on IT and Technology-Oriented Regional Development Following the opening speeches and our Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Uslu's address highlighting our university's vision focused on social benefit, the panel sessions commenced. Speaking at the workshop, our Dean of the Faculty of Computer and Information Sciences, Prof. Dr. Alper Aytekin, pointed out that social contribution processes in higher education today can only gain strong momentum through information technologies, software innovations, and digital transformation. Our Dean shared with the participants the innovative opportunities that can be achieved in regional collaborations through data analysis, technological infrastructures, and the integration of smart systems.

The event, which shed light on our university's mission of concurrently advancing education, research, and social benefit, concluded with the sharing of best practices, a mutual exchange of ideas, and the presentation of plaques in memory of the day.

As the Faculty of Computer and Information Sciences, we would like to express our gratitude to our Dean, Prof. Dr. Alper Aytekin, for successfully representing our faculty on this valuable platform, where strategic collaborations were developed in line with the development goals of our region and our country.