PhD Showcase

Take Your Place in MARUF Showcases!

MARUF’s open call for Showcases, which enable the sharing of a large number of experiences, knowledge and ideas in a limited time in the search for urban solutions to urban challenges.

Application Deadline: August 10, 2025 (until 23:59 (UTC+3))

What are MARUF Showcases?

Showcases are spaces of interaction that aim for different stakeholders to come together to share knowledge and experiences, learn from each other and develop solution-oriented collaborations. Shaped by application and evaluation processes, showcases encourage the exchange of knowledge and experience and contribute to the dissemination of solutions by bringing together participants from different sectors. Speakers deliver short presentations, where staying concise can be a challenge.

At MARUF25, you can choose one of four different showcases:

• The PhD Showcase provides a platform for sharing ongoing doctoral research in related fields.
• The Good Practice Showcase demonstrates successful municipal practices that address urban challenges.
• The Project Showcase features projects offering urban solutions through international cooperation.
• The Start-up Showcase presents innovative ventures focused on urban solutions.

and beyond. Take your place in this collective sharing area and join our inquiries for possible urban futures!

Evaluation and Presentation Process

Applications are evaluated in terms of their compatibility with one of the aforementioned showcase formats, their relevance with conceptual framework and  streams of MARUF25, and their compliance with MARUF Code of Conduct. Following the evaluation process, MARUF25 Team will contact applicants who are eligible to take part in the showcases.

The MARUF25 expects speakers to captivate the audience with a short but effective presentation in the time allocated. Technical support will be provided during the presentations, while other expenses are covered by the applicants.

Within the scope of MARUF25 Showcases, projects, ideas, and studies can be shared with a wider audience, opening up opportunities for new collaborations and the development of promising professional networks.

What is a PhD Showcase?

In line with the motto ‘Cities Developing Solutions’, the PhD Showcase is a competition where doctoral researchers present their theses — focused on solutions to urban challenges — in 3-minute presentations delivered in English.

This competition aims to bring together a rich research agenda — spanning topics such as public space, equality, climate change, migration, infrastructure, transportation, public health, digitalization, circular economy, local development, urban technologies, agricultural land preservation, risk management, and urban quality of life — with relevant stakeholders, all ‘on the shore of all possibilities’.

Why Apply to the PhD Showcase?

The PhD Showcase is a space of sharing and interaction where doctoral researchers showcase their studies to academics, local policy-makers and urban stakeholders with 3-minute English presentations. Through these short presentations, you can convey your research findings in a clear, understandable and practical way, and you can have the opportunity to improve your work with the feedback you will receive from the jury and the audience. Throughout the presentations, research findings are conveyed in a clear and concise way, and the opportunity to receive constructive feedback from the jury and audience arises. Simultaneously, solutions proposed in the presented research are brought to the limelight of various urban stakeholders.

As the competition concludes, the presentations will be evaluated by the jury and the winners will be announced:

• First place award*: 40,000 TRY
• Honorable mention awards* (2 researchers): 20,000 TRY

*The awards will be presented on a date to be determined by MMU following MARUF25.

What are the Criteria for Application, Evaluation and Competition?

• The researcher must be enrolled in a doctoral program and currently working on their dissertation.
• The thesis topic must be in the scope of one of the MARUF25 streams and must be related to the city and solutions to urban challenges. It could be about a range of such as the Marmara Region, the Marmara Sea, local governance, urban planning, smart cities, architecture, water management, environmental management, climate change, demographics, migration, earthquakes, risk management, disaster management, conservation of agricultural land and quality of urban life.
• The researcher who are entitled to present at the PhD showcase will be determined as a result of the preliminary evaluation of the MARUF PhD showcase jury.
• Researchers will present in the presence of a jury consisting of academics, local policy-makers, mayors and an audience. Presentations must be made in English in a maximum of 3 minutes.

For any inquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Application Process Completed.